the star
by The Fluff Queen
Summary: TV baron Jesse St. James only plays for keeps. Everything he touches is an instant hit. And when the star of his latest project, Rachel Berry, is involved in a scandal, he'll do whatever it takes to protect her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **The original story, _The Master Player_, belongs to Emma Darcy, Harlequin Books (which translated it to Portuguese, and that was the version I read) and originally to Mills&Boon Books. The characters belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. I'm just a poor Law graduate trying to find a job and having fun with Jesse and Rachel.

**The Star**

_One_

**H**e watched her. The release party of the new television hit was filled with celebrities, most of the women structurally more beautiful than the one he looked at, but, in Jesse St. James' mind, she outshone all the others. There was an adorable simplicity in her, which attracted men and women alike, a natural quality that evoked the idea that she'd never cheat anyone. _The stereotypical girl-next-door who everyone liked and trusted_, Jesse thought, _next to the soft sensuality that made all the men want to bed her._

There was nothing severe, nothing intimidating, on her appearance. Her brown hair was in a floating style, long and soft, and looked always slightly messy, not fixed on its place. Dimples appeared on her cheeks when she smiled. There were no abrupt lines on her features, apart from her nose, typically Jewish, but which was perfectly adequate to her face. And her body was like a woman's should be: no bony shoulders, stick-thin arms. Each part of her was sweetly rounded and soft, not in an exaggeratedly voluptuous way, nothing threatening to other women, but very inviting to any man.

In her eyes resided the real secret of her attraction. The luminous chocolate brown somehow suggested that her soul was willing to hear and relate to anything that one wanted to tell her. There was no reserve in those eyes. They sucked you in, showed every emotion, reflecting an almost-hypnotizing vulnerability that enticed the male protective instincts, and also the most primitive ones.

Her large and generous mouth was almost as expressive as her eyes, its smooth mobility reflecting the same feelings, from a weak smile of solidarity to radiant one of shared joy. She had the gift of projecting anything wanted from her, and people would believe that she really felt that, not like an actress playing a role. But like a gift that could make her into a huge star, not only in the TV show he had bought and demanded to be rewritten so it showed what he had seen in her.

Strangely, he wasn't sure if it was what she wanted to be. Her domineering mother wanted to. His ambitious screen-writer husband too. She did what **they **wanted, never making any objections, but there were occasions when Jesse picked a lost expression on her face, moments when she thought there wasn't anyone looking, when she didn't need to be anyone's creation, when she wasn't on the **spotlight**.

That evening, she was on the spotlight, and guests surrounded her, wanting to take advantage of her light, inevitably fascinated by her unique charisma. The crowd around her was shifting, in constant change, forced to give way to others who also wanted a piece of her if only for a few moments. But Jesse noticed that those more intimate moments of hers had allowed her to shine on her own.

That didn't surprise him. Neither her mother nor her husband liked to be on the background, where they inevitably ended if they didn't stay away from her in public. He moved his eyes away from her to watch around, unsurprised to see her mother chatting with a bunch of TV executives, widening the network of contacts she could use. Jesse hadn't liked to do business with her, which had been unavoidable since she had named herself her daughter's manager. He had kept all the meetings with her curt, and coldly ditched all her attempts of a more personal liaison with him.

Controlling and egocentric, Shelby Corcoran was the worst kind of actress mother. Her vividly dyed black hair screamed _look at me, remember me!_, and its masculine short length accentuated her I'm-just-as-good-as-any-man-and-better-than-most-of-them attitude. But there was nothing masculine in her body, always dressed with exaggerated sexuality: always with low-cuts, short skirts, extremely high heels attracting attention to her toned legs.

Everything was used in her struggle to have things go her way, and Jesse didn't like anything in her. Even the name she had picked for her daughter, Rachel, sounded deliberately artistic, chosen to be remembered. Rachel Berry. It flowed easily, but always sounded fake to Jesse. It sounded too plotted for the person he saw in Rachel. Something simpler would have been best.

Maria.

Maria St. James.

His mouth contorted when he amused himself with the pompous addition of his own last name. Marriage never attracted him. He didn't want a wife. His sexual impulses were satisfied with one woman or another, and his governess and cook managed all the rest a wife could do. Besides, Rachel Berry already had a husband, and Jesse was against stealing someone else's wife, even if it was for a quick affair. A troubled personal life was as bad as a troubled professional life. Jesse severely controlled both.

He wondered how her husband was enjoying the party, and his eyes scanned the crowd searching for the womanizer Rachel had married, Finn Hudson. **He **had a good name. The man was a charmer, but Jesse saw nothing in his writing skills. None of the lines he had created had emotional force. They invariably had to be edited, improved by the others writers in the show team. Finn Hudson would never be part of the team, if it weren't for his inclusion on the negotiations with Rachel.

_Interesting._ Finn wasn't seeking for attention. He was away from the crowd, almost with his back to it, and in a conversation that seemed very tense with Rachel's personal assistant, Quinn Fabray. In his face, a furious frustration. On hers, a furious drive. Finn held her arm, his fingers pressing firmly. She shook him off, stepping away from him, resentment flaring on her face as she cruised through the masses, going straight to Rachel.

Jesse's instincts immediately warned him for the mess. There was media there. He didn't agree with the idea that every publicity, no matter how bad, was good publicity. Distractions from the show success weren't welcomed, especially something unpleasant about its star.

He moved, making his own way, but he came from the other side of the room; impossible to stop Quinn. She reached Rachel first, shoving people away around her and assuming a confrontational position; her body language displayed clearly her ferocious determination; her hands closing around Rachel's shoulders as she leant forward and whispered something heavy with venom.

Definitely heavy with venom.

The shock in Rachel's face, her completely shaken appearance, indicated to Jesse a serious issue. Fortunately, he arrived only seconds after Quinn, quick enough for his tall strong frame to block the eyes of close watchers.

"Move, Quinn", he ordered coldly, startling the young woman, who let Rachel go and turned to face him.

He moved quickly, moving straight by her, wrapping an arm around Rachel's waist, leading her away from the disturbance, his head leant towards her, speaking seriously, as if he had something to say, his free arm out in a dismissive gesture that would avoid anyone from interrupting that conversation.

"Don't make a fuss", he ordered in a grave and urgent tone. "Just come with me and I'll take you to a safe place where we'll be able to resolve this matter, just the two of us".

She didn't reply. She looked dumbfounded ahead and walked like an automaton, carried by the force of his movements. It was like she suddenly became an empty shell, with nothing inside. Jesse deduced that whatever it was that Quinn had told her had been quite a shock to leave her like that.

His immediate goal was to protect her, protect his investment on her, and he did it in the impetuous way in which he went after all his goals. It didn't matter what her mother or husband would think of that action. He led her straight out of the Adrenaline Room, the main ball room of that five-star hotel, ignoring demands of attention and repressing any attempt of following to them with a scolding look. No one wanted to go against California's TV baron. He had too much power to be challenged, and Jesse had no scruples about using it the way it pleased him.

He had reserved the penthouse suite for his convenience that evening. Wanting to enjoy his own personal satisfaction with Rachel Berry, he hadn't invited his current lover for the party, so there were no risks of an unpleasant scene if he took Rachel there. It was a quick and efficient escape for her.

He didn't even bother asking if she agreed. She wouldn't hear anything. She also seemed not to pay attention to anything. There were no words or signs of protest from her while he took her to the elevator, went up to the last floor, led her into the suite, locked the door and made her sit in a comfortable armchair.

She didn't relax against the soft cushions. Jesse didn't know for certain if she was even aware that she was sitting. He went to the bar and served a generous dose of cognac. He served for himself a glass of whisky, trying not to look threatening, but friendly, when the cognac brought her back to reality.

She didn't feel comfortable with him, never had. His goal wasn't to make friends, and he had too strong a personality for her to like him easily. But, at that moment, he was the one in charge and wanted her to accept the situation, trust him, share her problem and allow him to work it out, because she was clearly unable to deal with that on her own, and he needed his star to keep acting the way only she could. Jesse st. James didn't accept defeat in any project of his.

* * *

><p><strong>"D<strong>rink this!"

A large glass was forcefully shoved to the hands that were prostrated on her lap. Her numb mind registered that she would have to drink or the liquid would spill. She held the glass with both hands so that it wouldn't shake.

"Drink!"

The severe order made her lift the glass to her lips. She drank, and the liquid burned her mouth, making a fiery path down her throat. Warmth took her neck, flooded her cheeks and shook her brain off its state of numbness. Her eyes, filled with a pained protest, automatically stared at the man responsible for all that.

Jesse St. James.

A shiver ran down her body when she noticed that **he **leaned over her, the power he always emanated penetrating into her heart and making her insides clench.

"That's better", he said, satisfaction shining into the blue-grey eyes that shone with a too bright intelligence, invariably giving her the impression nothing went unnoticed by him. He saw all, knew all and only cared about what advantage could come to him on the world he ruled.

It was a relief when he turned away from her, putting physical distance between them, while he walked to the armchair in front of hers, next to a couch and a glass center table. He sat down, curling his large tall frame into the seat, the elegant hands casually holding the drink.

He was a stunningly beautiful man, although it was a totally inadequate description to him. The dark beauty, with curly black locks, face delicately sculpted, fair skin, mouth perfectly shaped, added to the air of distinction he had, but it was the air of untamable power that gave him charismatic impact, that made all the rest seem only an adequate frame to the dynamic man that could take anything and make it work.

Somehow, it only added to his sex appeal, turning it almost into a mental and physical attack to everything that was feminine in Rachel. She wanted to walk away, but she couldn't break free of the magnetism he exercised, bringing to the surface feelings she shouldn't feel for that man. It was alarming to notice herself alone with him.

Her eyes scanned the room, absorbing what was obviously a master suite. With a king-sized bed. That immediately reminded her of one Finn insisted they bought for their room.

Had he used it with Quinn?

Had it been the place where he committed the worst betrayal without even caring?

"What did Quinn Fabray tell you?"

The question led her eyes back to Jesse St. James, forcing her to deal with his demanding blue-grey eyes; there was no way not to tell him the truth. She could feel the pressure of his willpower hammering in her mind, and knew he wouldn't tolerate attempts of dismissal. Besides, there wasn't a way to hide it. Quinn didn't want it to be hidden. And neither did her. No argument in the world could make her go back to her marriage after that.

"She's having an affair with my husband". A double betrayal, from the woman who she trusted as a friend and the man who pretended to love her. "And she's having… his baby". The child Finn refused her because that new show was too great an opportunity to let go. Her lips quivered as she told him the last nauseating words. "He didn't want to leave me for her because I am… I am his money ticket".

She closed her eyes as tears of bitterness pooled.

"Surely he wouldn't want to leave you", was the cynical comment. "The important question is: do **you** want to leave him?"

A huge anger exploded in her, ripping open a mountain of old hurts that she had buried in the life the mother had forced her to lead since childhood, cutting off all the options, leaving her with no choice but the follow the path she had chosen. The marriage to Finn had been part of that… And so was the baby she had convinced not to have. _Enough, enough, enough!_, she thought.

She wiped the tears with the back of her hand and faced the man who demanded her answer to that situation.

"Yes", she replied vehemently. "I won't let you, Finn or my mother sweep that under the rug. I don't care if it'll tarnish my reputation. I'll never take him back as my husband".

"Great!" He said with a casually dismissive gesture. "I just wanted to know the best way to deal with the issue, given our sudden departure of the Adrenaline Room".

"I don't want to get back there either!" She shot back in anger. "I don't want to see or talk to Finn, or be anywhere close to him. And I also don't want to listen to my mother".

He thoughtfully watched her for a long while, the powerful grey eyes watching, evaluating, speculating, making her feel like a butterfly trapped to a pin, thoroughly examined. She looked away and sipped from the cognac, wishing its fire to burn away the humiliation of being nothing more than a money ticket to the people who had put her in that situation.

_Jesse St. James isn't any different_, she told herself. He only cared about her because of the huge investment he had made on the show, projecting it to what he considered her special talent. _Whatever __**it**__ is. _But she was thankful he had led her from the Adrenaline Room. She didn't recall him doing that, but he obviously noticed the impact of Quinn's revelation and acted to downplay the effect it would have on the release party.

_The show must go on_.

But not tonight. And not for her.

"Since you don't want to be disturbed neither by your driven mother nor by your husband who undoubtedly will think of a way to lay the blame on Quinn Fabray and put himself as the innocent victim of a madly jealous woman…" He shushed for a moment, watching her reaction to the scenario.

Rachel flinched.

"… What, I assure you, is a lie", he carried on mordaciously. "I've watched them both in a very intimate conversation shortly before she approached you. She was furious with him. The connection between them isn't a fantasy".

"Anyway, the baby will prove it", she mumbled, bitterly.

"Unless Quinn is convinced to have an abortion".

A terrified Rachel looked up at him, who shook his head.

"Not by me".

Finn. Her mother. She knew without him having to say it that both would see that as a way out of an unpleasant scandal, a way to smooth everything up so she kept doing what they wanted. Rachel's head began pulsing thinking of all the arguments they'd subject her to.

"I have to get away from them. I need…" She barely noticed she spoke aloud. Her mind was desperately searching for a way to leave, but all she had was tied to Finn or her mother: the money, the house… Her entire life.

"I can protect you, Rachel".

Startled by a statement she wasn't expecting, she faced him, anguished and confused. The look of arrogant confidence on his face reminded her just how powerful he was. The grey eyes penetrated hers with a implacable force that left her nerves frazzled. Of course. Jesse St. James could protect her if he wanted. _But what would it mean?_

"You need to go somewhere safe, where security will be so good no one will be able to see you unless you want to", he said casually. "I won't have any difficulty to achieve that".

_A peaceful refuge, a haven… _She thought. But the practical issues immediately showed the hardships.

"I need to go home gather my clothes".

"No. Someone can pack them up and deliver them to you".

"I don't even have my credit card!"

"I'll hire a lawyer to work on your financial situation. Meanwhile, I'll start a bank account to fill your necessities until you can deal with your own money".

She backed down.

"My mother will fight to keep control".

"I doubt she has more weapons than I do", he said slowly, an impetuous determination shining in the bright grey eyes.

He was right. Her mother was no match for him. Freedom seemed within her reach.

"Trust me, Rachel. There's nothing I won't do to give you independence. **If **that is what you want".

Seductive words, attracting her towards him. The 'yes' tingled in her tongue. The only thing that held her back was the sudden feeling that she was leaving a way of domination straight to another.

"Why would you do that for me?" The words left her lips in a wave of fear, feat that he planned to shape her into what he wanted and that the promise of independence was the bait to lock her into something ever worse.

"I don't want anything to disturb the show, a project I worked on for a very long time. You're the most important for it, Rachel. I need you working like just you can. If for such I have to free you from everything that hurts you and make sure that you won't be disturbed by people that will cause you pain, I will. I'll create a perimeter of security around you that no one will be able to violate without your permission. All I ask in return is that you keep working on the show until your contract lasts".

Protecting his investment.

It made sense.

Jesse St. James had always been connected to success, never to failure.

It wasn't personal for him. It was business. He just didn't want her personal life to affect in a bad way what he had projected.

Suddenly her fears seemed ridiculous. Strangely, she felt a huge confidence that she could do what he asked, carrying on with her role on the show, if she didn't have to deal with her mother, or with Finn, or with Quinn meanwhile.

"I'll make them disappear", he said softly, as if reading her thoughts. "Just say the word, Rachel".

Her tired mind began to be taken by the vision of a white knight, fighting off all her dragons, instead of a villain planning to use her for some sordid personal goal. It was more than seductive. It pushed her to accept the offer without even thinking more about it.

"It **is **what I want", she said.

"Yes", he replied, like he already knew it and was just waiting for her to confirm it. Jesse rose from his chair with the air of a man who savors the battle to come. "You'll be perfectly sage while waits for me here. You'll probably need to eat something. Make yourself home and relax, knowing you won't need to face any kind of disturbance tonight".

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the Adrenaline Room", he opened a smile of pure personal satisfaction. "When I'm done there I doubt anyone will come bother you about your decision".

Her decision.

An independent one.

She felt strangely enthralled by that as she watched the man who made so easily possible to run away starting to put their plan in motion. Jesse St. James. Who had the power of doing anything he wanted. And he was about to use his power to free her from the life she always wanted to get away from.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Star**

_Chapter Two_

**"W**hat's going on, Jesse?"

The question was made in the moment he walked in the Adrenaline Room; it was Santana Lopez, the editor of the entertainment section of one of the main newspapers, sniffing a story that could have more sensationalist value than one about a premiere party and waiting to catch its main source. She was a beautiful woman, a Latina, with a slim face, long black hair, inquiring eyes and a sharp tongue.

"You vanished from here with Rachel, who was white as a sheet", she spoke quickly, "and came back by yourself".

"Rachel is resting", he stated blankly.

"What does she have?"

"She was exhausted by the party, answering nonstop to the people, and didn't have a break to eat and drink. I thought she needed an immediate shot of sugar", he said, with a concerned frown.

"She has diabetes?"

"I'll talk now to her mother about her condition, if you excuse me".

He stepped aside, his eyes already scanning the crowds after the dark locks.

"Will that be an issue for the show?" Santana asked.

"No. Someone needs to take better care of her. That's all. And I'll make sure that will be done".

Shelby Corcoran had gone to a corner of the room, obviously wrapped up in a fiery argument with Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray. Probably the only people who hadn't noticed his return, who walked straight to where they stood.

Quinn Fabray was tall and slim, with straight blond hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore a black dress that followed her personal style of always dressing classic clothes. She had green eyes, feline eyes. Jesse saw envy in them when she looked at Rachel. And also despise. As if Rachel was stupid and undeserving of her star status.

When Rachel looked at her, it was something completely different: sweetly helpful, indulgently helpful, happy to do everything that was asked of her. The two-face bitch had shown her true colors that night, and Jesse burned to kick her out of Rachel's life.

And also Finn Hudson. Even more that lowlife bastard and his money, earned with the lying, without even caring for the woman who supported him. With dark spiky hair and black eyes, he almost looked like a movie star when young, but his only talent was to keep the good looks and praise himself. _Your fall is coming_, Jesse promised silently to him. When Finn noticed his approach, he was visibly alarmed and quickly warned the women.

They stepped aside, automatically making space for him to join the group. Quinn's expression was still a mixture of fear and belligerence. She certainly knew she was dug her own grave as Rachel's personal assistant, but she would fight to walk away of it with a generous slice of the actress' money thanks to the mistake made by Finn when he got her pregnant. Undoubtedly she would make her living for quite some time with his divorce settlement. From her part, the pregnancy wasn't a mistake.

Shelby's lips were pressed together, showing anger on her face. She obviously had been calculation how much that inevitable fight would cost, and hadn't liked the result. She would like even less when he revealed to her Rachel's complete disgust for her domination.

The tension on the group was tangible. But Jesse wouldn't say anything with so many people watching.

"No doubt you're all concerned with Rachel", he said, barely managing to keep the neutral tone of voice. "I took her to a private suite. I suggest you walk out of this with me so we can discuss the situation by ourselves. I ask that you don't say anything to anyone on the way. You won't like the consequences".

"You can't do anything to me", Quinn mocked, challengingly.

"Shut up!" Finn snapped.

"Give me your arm, Shelby", Jesse ordered.

There was no hesitation.

Jesse shot an icy look to the conman.

"Follow us, Finn, and bring your woman with you".

Finn's perfect paleness didn't seem so perfect, tainted with a guilty blush, but Jesse didn't stop to revel on the effect. He made the way back through the room, tugging Shelby Corcoran, his head leaned towards her in a pose of confidential conversation, murmuring a series of shallow facts about her having to take a better care of Rachel.

In a matter of minutes he has already led the trio out of the party and into an elevator towards what they believed would be a confrontation with Rachel. He led them to a door where a butler was promptly waiting to let them in and deliver Jesse the keycard, who had asked for that second room as he left the one Rachel had taken over.

They walked in, and he closed the door. Shelby was the first to react.

"Where's Rachel?" She asked, suspecting having been led to a place where there were no advantages for her.

"Where she wants to be – out of your reach", he replied, looking at the three of them with a look of disdain before addressing Shelby. "Since you hired Quinn Fabray to be Rachel's rep, I suggest you fire her now. She's no longer welcome anywhere near Rachel. Do you understand, Shelby?"

She nodded, too smart to argue how to work around the situation.

"I'd never work for her again", Quinn muttered, but Jesse ignored her.

His next target was Finn.

"You're fired from the screenwriting team".

"You can't do that! I have a contract!" He protested.

"I'll pay for you to be released of it. My lawyer will get in touch with you to work everything. Consider the contract ended as of now. I don't want you near Rachel when she's working at the show".

"But…"

"Don't make a scene, Hudson", he advised in a threatening tone. "I can blacklist you on the TV world".

"For the love of God! I've made a mistake in my private life! It has nothing to do with my work!" Finn exploded.

"It stops being personal when it affects my business. Don't make a scene, Hudson", he repeated.

Finn shook his head, stunned that his affair with Quinn Fabray could have brought such a quick, sharp backlash: banished from the high circle of stars, under the risk of being summarily exiled from the celebrity world and without Rachel by his side, he had no weapon to avoid it from being taken from him.

Satisfied that Finn was completely aware of the consequences, Jesse turned his attention back to Rachel's mother. His wish was to completely get rid of her, but a family's ties of affection were sneaky. He needed to reign himself in until he consulted with Rachel again.

"I don't think you acted with your daughter's wellbeing in mind, Shelby, as you should have, as a mother and a manager".

"**This** is not my fault!" She screamed, pointing a hand towards Finn and Quinn.

"You picked Quinn and allowed Finn to tie himself to Rachel's career. You've made a bad call on the two cases", Jesse carried on impetuously. "We'll meet tomorrow at eleven at my office, to discuss if you'll go on as her manager".

"That's between Rachel and me", Shelby argued.

"Not anymore. She gave me power to act in her name, and that's what I'll do, Shelby. Believe me". He made a pause and carried on, "You better take a lawyer. Mine will surely be there".

"Let me speak to her", she asked, a slight fear blooming behind the coldness in her eyes. "Our story is too long for you to interfere like that".

"Rachel doesn't want to hear what you have to say", Jesse declared without hesitation. "I suggest you accept your ruling over her has ended, and the best you have to do is to try and control the damages instead of fighting against me. I'm a great adversary, Shelby".

The threat hung in the air for a few moments, until he announced, "I'm going back to the Adrenaline Room. None of you will be able to go back there tonight. The butler will escort you out of this room in 30 minutes. The best to do is to leave the hotel immediately".

Jesse turned his back to them, left the suite, instructed the butler and went down to the party.

Santana Lopez saw him and asked, "Rachel is not coming back?"

"No. She went through a promoting marathon this week and she needs her rest", he said casually. "Why don't you talk to the other actors of the cast, Santana? I'm sure they'll adore talking about the show".

He smiled to erase the concern he had shown earlier and went to join the cast, distracting himself during the next forty minutes, enough time that no one tied him to Rachel's absence and that the trio left the hotel.

Using the excuse that he was tired of so much celebrating, he left the party, certified that there wasn't anyone in the second room and went to where Rachel was. If she had come to regret, he had to convince her that there was no turning back. The moves had been made.

Her place now was next to him.

The idea jumped at him, bringing with it a great satisfaction. It was a feeling of owning so great that it ended being strange for him. To keep his own freedom, he always respected the freedom of women and their choices. But, in the professional aspect, Rachel Berry belong to him as long as her contract held up, and she was now also free when it came down to the personal side, what gave Jesse the opportunity to work on his interest towards her. And that was what excited him the most.

Rachel was the most fascinating woman he had ever met, and she wasn't tied anymore to her husband. He could claim her, have her for himself, explore that woman for as long as he wanted.

Rachel was still on the armchair Jesse had left her in. A look back at her life went through her mind: the terrible emptiness of being more important to her mother as an image on the TV than as a person with real needs that were ignored and/or dismissed.

She had fallen for Finn because he seemed to focus totally into her, the woman, making her feel truly loved and caring about what she wanted. But it had been false. After the wedding, he sided with her mother, raising the pressure for her to keep her image and softening everything by justifying she was special.

The passion died quickly when disappointment happened, but still it was easier to live with him than with her mother and, for that, she did everything he asked to keep the relationship the best she could. And that included the deal with Jesse St. James. Finn wanted to be part of the screenwriting team and argued that he could share the show with her, defend her interests and assure she could have everything she wanted.

But it was a lie.

It was all a lie.

He spent more time with Quinn than with her, taking Quinn to bed, getting her pregnant while pretending to be a husband in love. She didn't quite believe in that. He loved her career, her connections, her fame. She was the means for him to get the life **he **wanted. The life her mother wanted.

The marriage had seemed empty for her way before that. And that was why she wanted a baby. The love for her child would be real, and she would love it so, so much… A child for whom she could do everything, and in the right way.

Rachel was still sipping the cognac, enjoying the fire inside of her. That made her feel alive, determined to take charge of her own life as soon as her deal with Jesse St. James was done. It was good to have him by her side, knowing he would help her to get over that great change in her life. It made sense that he didn't want her worried with issues that didn't let her shine on the show. She understood that a man like him would want the project to reach all its potential. Although she was crucial for that to happen, Jesse St. James was the boss, ruling everything that was necessary to reach the desired success.

A man like him…

The words returned to her mind. She tried to analyze what they meant and everything she could think of was a sense of absolute control of self and of everything he did. Was that what gave him that sexual magnetism that made her tremble? Probably he had the same effect on all the women in his presence.

Rachel was totally unaware of the passage of time. The sound of the door opening caused her to startle on the armchair and face the man who did what was necessary to assure she wasn't disturbed. It was much easier to accept that when he wasn't there. In the moment Jesse St. James appeared, her heart sped up with apprehension.

"Everything's alright", he assured. "You won't have to see them again unless you want to". His eyes moved to the empty glass she still held. Then, they wandered over the tables on the room. "Didn't you eat anything?"

"No. I…" She blushed, remembering his instructions for her to order something from the room service. "I didn't even think about it".

He smiled. "You don't have to do what you don't want to, Rachel. I'm a little hungry. I'll order some sandwiches for us. It'll be up for you to decide if you want to eat or not".

She watched him walk to the desk, pick up the phone and talk to the room service. Jesse added a portion of fries to the order and, after that, turned to her.

"Tea, coffee or hot cocoa?"

"Hot cocoa. And ketchup".

He frowned, confused.

"I like fries with ketchup", she explained, not caring if it would seem childish. Suddenly, she felt hungry too.

He flashed a satisfied grin. Rachel wanted that his grins turned him less threatening, but that didn't happen. They gave her a feeling that he was a step ahead of her, and it was a planned step to make her feel better about being his ally. She needed to get herself together and find out what he had done in her name.

Once he wrapped up the order, he wrote something on the notepad next to the phone. "I've reserved a second suite for me and I've blocked all the phones to this one so you won't be bothered during the night. Tomorrow once you're ready for breakfast you call me on this number", he gestured to the notepad, "and we'll meet to discuss the next steps. Okay?"

She nodded, relieved to know he wasn't considering spend the night with her. Not that she had worried with that on a sexual sense. Everyone knew he had a relationship with Andrea Cohen, a breathtaking redheaded model, very classy. Although Andrea hadn't been his date to the party that evening, probably because of a previous engagement, Rachel didn't relate the model's absence to any interest Jesse St. James could have in her.

For him, it was all business – and even so he still could have thought it wouldn't be good to leave her alone – and truth was that she couldn't relax in his presence. Her eyes turned to the bed. It would be good to lie in it knowing she would be alone. A repulsed shiver ran through her when she pictured Finn making love to her after being with Quinn. Never again.

"Finn is no longer part of the program. I fired him from the writing team. And Quinn Fabray is also gone. They're both out of your professional life".

_Cleaning up the set for the show to go on_, Rachel considered, but their banishment made her feel avenged and satisfied.

"Great!" She said, looking at the man who used his power to get rid of them in her working environment. "Thank you".

He walked towards her, pointing at the armchair she had gotten up from. "The room service will take a while, and we need to talk about your mother".

She sat down, filled with anger against anything her mother could have suggested to him and ready to repel the control that had ruined her life. He slowly sat down on an armchair, blue-grey eyes watching her discomfort, making her even tenser.

"Do you want to keep her as your manager?" He asked.

"**No**!" The word exploded in a mountain of hurt. A wave of doubts followed shortly after. She had no idea what the law said about that. "Do I **have** to keep her?"

He shook his head. "I've taken the liberty to set up a business meeting with her tomorrow, to wrap up the business relationship between the two of you".

He had already made the first move. Rachel looked at him, astonished.

"The decision's still yours".

"I don't want her to be responsible for anything related to me", Rachel said, vehement.

He nodded. "My lawyer will work it out".

_That simple?_ She shook her head, amazed, barely managing to believe the chains of an entire life could be broken so easily.

"She'll try to resist. What did she say when you set up the meeting?"

He shrugged. "She wanted to talk to you. I didn't allow".

"I don't want to hear what she has to say".

"I've told her that", he replied dryly.

_He's not emotionally involved, of course_, Rachel thought. For him, it was only a matter of business, the end of a contract between actor and manager.

"Do I **need** to go to the meeting?" She asked, anxiously.

"Do you want to?" He didn't seem not a bit worried, once again leaving the decision up to her.

"No". She even imagined already the speech she would have to hear, the longest list of everything Shelby had done for her. But it hadn't been **for **her. It never had been.

"Are you afraid she'll convince you to keep her as your manager?" He asked, curious.

"No. I just don't want to hear her. If you can work it out without me…"

"It will be easier without you, no doubt. My lawyer will meet us for breakfast, and you'll be able to give him your instructions. He'll act according to them".

"I think it'll be better like that".

Another decision made. By her. For her.

"It will", he agreed, raising from the armchair. "If you excuse me, Rachel, I'll contact him now. Eight is good for you?"

"Yes, but…" She looked down to the blue silk gown she wore. "I only have this outfit".

"A bathrobe will work for the breakfast", he assured her. "I'll have them bring clothes from all the stores of the hotel for you once they're open. Don't worry with your looks. The situation, as a whole, is more important".

The situation… The one **she** was creating, neither the mother nor Finn or even Jesse St. James, who gave her options, without making decisions for her. She saw him walk away and pick up her phone to call the lawyer. Somehow, his power didn't seem so intimidating. He used it in her name, his fearless knight slaying dragons.

Rachel couldn't help but like him for that.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Star**

_Three_

**S**helby Corcoran didn't bring her lawyer to the meeting. She walked into Jesse's office powerfully dressed: purple dress, red belt, red high-heels, red nails and the self-confidence of a woman that always had her daughter under her domain and didn't believe that could change. Not even the presence of Jesse's lawyer affected her.

She seemed to presume Rachel had already regretted what she had said the previous night. Her mother's absence would leave too large a void in her life. She wouldn't manage to handle things on her own and she had no one to seek for support now that Finn Hudson had done the unthinkable and imploded his credibility.

Jesse greeted her coldly, introduced Matthew Rutherford, head of his legal department, asked her to sit and did the same behind his desk.

"Actually, there is no need for any discussions, Shelby", Jesse said, signaling for Matthew to give her the document that ended her services as Rachel's manager.

She took it, read it and looked up. "This isn't worth of even the paper it's printed on. Rachel will come back to me as soon as she cools down. If you wouldn't have interfered last night and offered her support…"

"She will go on having this support".

"Oh… I'm certain you will take care of what you think are **her **interests as long as the contract lasts. It's **your **interest. But, after that…"

"Then I can hand Rachel over to a decent manager who won't keep an exorbitant percentage of what she earns, like you do".

The anger exploded inside Shelby's eyes. "Without me she would be nothing, and Rachel knows that. I've planned every step of her career, trained her to be able to play any role, chose what would be better to give her visibility, gave her the necessary shove for her to turn into the star you're now exploring".

"It isn't **your **face that lights up the screen. You didn't train your daughter to do that. It's a gift you've explored for your benefit. In reality, **you**'re nothing without **her**".

Jesse saw frustration in her eyes.

"You think you're in a better situation than I am?" She challengingly asked, getting up and throwing the document over the table. "Once your contract with Rachel is over, I'll make sure she'll never sign another with you".

"Don't count on that, Shelby. I advise you use what you ripped off of Rachel to move on with your life".

"Why are you doing that? Turning everything so personal?"

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair with an ironic smirk on his lips. "I like the role of vigilante".

She narrowed her eyes. "Or are you interested in Rachel and taking advantage of the moment?"

It was a blow too low to be ignored. He mockingly stared at her.

"I'm a little too busy with Andrea Cohen. Whatever my reputation with the ladies is, I'm not famous for juggling two at the same time".

"Whatever interest it is that you have in Rachel, you'll move on. That's what you always do. And once you're no longer interested in her, she'll come back to me".

_Never_, Jesse thought, so fiercely that it surprised himself. He watched Shelby Corcoran leave his office triumphantly and promised to himself she wouldn't win.

"I wouldn't like to have my rules dictated by that woman".

Jesse twirled in his chair and turned to his lawyer. Matthew Rutherford was nearing 30, a tall African-American with shaved head and an habit of hiding a quick mind behind a subtle smile.

"The secret is not to let her make you bleed with those red claws. She's gotten too much, Matt".

"Certainly. For what Rachel's told us about the beginning of her career, I could probably sue her mother for fraudulent appropriation of…"

"No. We won't unbury the past", Jesse said firmly. "It'll be best for Rachel if we forget everything she was a victim of than to force her to relive it on the courts. It's best that she focuses on what she can do from now and on. And, for her to have a future, we have to keep her mother away from her".

"She needs a body-guard. Do you want me to hire one?"

"Please. Someone with whom she feels comfortable, like a brother, an experienced man, with our age. Send him over to my Malibu house this afternoon for an interview".

"Done", Matthew smiled. "I never thought of you as a vigilante, Jesse, but I must admit there's something in Rachel Berry that makes us want to help her".

The body-guard would feel that too, reason for which Jesse didn't want someone who would see Rachel as a woman, but rather a member of their family. He needed time for Rachel to accept him in her life, and he wouldn't let her get attached to someone else. He needed to contain her until he could act.

"Something very special", Jesse agreed, raising from his seat and smiling. "And it doesn't cost me to save and protect her. A little, gratifying challenge".

Matt laughed. "This is the Jesse I know. To beat the monster-mom, very gratifying. You'll go back to the hotel now?"

"Yes. Settle down the rest with Finn Hudson".

"Definitively".

Matthew nodded.

"Thanks for the help, Matt".

* * *

><p><strong>R<strong>achel couldn't relax. Her mind was heavy with the idea of an independent life. She had felt ashamed when, in that morning, she revealed to Jesse and his lawyer her inability to support herself. When she was 18 and wanted to free herself from her mother's claws, the money that should have been put in a trust fund during her childhood and teenage years simply wasn't there.

Her mother controlled everything that she made and used it the way she thought fit: buying a house for them, spending in what she thought was right for Rachel's career and for herself to look as a respectful manager. Without money and without knowing to do anything else, Rachel's dream crashed. She had resigned to work as her mother ordered, although she insisted her share of the money from the contracts went straight to a bank account to which only she could access).

She liked to work. Ever since she was a child, she had created dream worlds, and it was easy to embody any character. But, sometimes, she longed for the real life, the one where there was no pretenses, there was no spectacle, where no one expected her to be anything but herself.

Without her mother and Finn constantly pushing her into each and every spotlight, she could make her own decisions, like she had been doing since Jesse St. James had stepped in and given her freedom. She was happy she had allowed him to talk to her mother, but now she needed to work her issues herself so she could really become independent.

The phone rang.

It could only be him. The hotel staff had been instructed not to pass any call through that wasn't his.

She ran to the desk and picked up the phone, with her heart jumping with apprehension. "Yes?" She said, anxiously.

"Everything is dealt with here", it was the calm answer. "Your mother was legally notified that she is no longer your manager. I'm going back to the hotel. Have you liked any of the clothes they took to you?"

"Uh… Yes, Yes. Thank you. I've written down the prices of the ones I've chosen so I can reimburse you later once I have access to my account".

"No problem. Now are you properly dressed and ready to appear in public?"

Panic bubbled up.

"Public?" Where there reporters outside the hotel, ready to make the move with questions about Finn and Quinn?

"Just a lunch at the hotel, Rachel. I've reserved a table for the two of us on the Carmel Restaurant. You'll be safe with me".

_Safe and, luckily, more relaxed with him in a public restaurant_, Rachel thought, relieved. Being alone with him in that private suite left her tense and nervous, too aware of her vulnerability to his magnetism.

"Right. How was the meeting?"

"We'll talk about that over lunch. Meet me in half an hour. See you there".

Half an hour…

She placed the phone back on its cradle and went to the posh bathroom, all in white, silver and shades of pink, one of her favorite colors. Rachel wore a white and pink silk dress that enchanted her at first sight.

She reapplied the makeup and fixed her hair, determined not to give motive for anyone to criticize her. Especially her mother, who wouldn't be there.

The thought made Rachel happy. It was a new phase for her, and, for the first time, she noticed the beautiful day outside. The hotel was on the way for the Hollywood sign, with a magnificent view. The sky was a clear blue, and the sun shone.

Her heart sped up when she heard her suite door open. It seemed there was nothing she could do to avoid the impact Jesse St. James had on her. He walked in brisk steps into the living room and stopped when he saw her in front of the wide windows, which were floor to ceiling. A crazy thought popped into her mind: maybe **she **had some surprising impact on him. It was probably absurd, but, for brief seconds of silence, it seemed that electricity surged between them, unnerving all her senses.

"Maria…"

The name slipped so softly from his lips that Rachel thought she must have misheard. "Pardon me?"

He shook his head, with a distracted smile on his lips. "You remind me of someone".

A woman for whom he cared? Rachel wanted to ask him about her, but he put himself once again in a position of full control and went towards her.

"Nice dress. It fits you".

Rachel blushed with the praise, but he went straight to business, giving her a piece of paper.

"I need you to sign it. It's a permission for the moving company to enter your apartment, pack your things and ship them off to my guest house on my Malibu estate. I'll fax it over for them".

Everything was said very casually. Rachel picked up the sheet, read it and tried not to show her reaction to what he was offering. She wanted her things removed from the apartment, she needed a place to put them in, but somewhere so close to that man seemed... dangerous. She hadn't thought before, she didn't have an alternative plan, but...

"There must be apartments to rent. I won't be comfortable in..."

"I can't assure your safety anywhere else, Rachel. You won't live with me. The guest house is separate from the main house. The important here is your protection. Not only against your mother or Finn. Once the scandal breaks out, the press will go nuts and paparazzi will stalk your every step. You'll be completely safe in my house. Consider this something temporary until you think of a better way to handle your future".

Yes, she needed time to plan and, knowing her mother's stubbornness quite well, the idea of protection was very appealing. Finn could also try and make her change her mind. Besides, how would she run from the inevitable result of all of it with reporters pursuing her and paps shoving cameras on her face? There were so many things threatening her search for freedom, and Jesse offered safety against all of it.

Another disturbing thought rose up.

"People might gossip about us. I mean... That I left Finn... To be with you..."

He seemed ironically amused by the suggestion they could be lovers.

"I'll make very clear that you're my guest, Rachel. I'm only taking care of the star of my show as she deals with a traumatic experience in her personal life".

Heat flooded her again. It had been absurd to think there were any danger to move in with him. He wouldn't use her or abuse her. Besides, he was in a relationship with another woman.

"Andrea Cohen won't like it", she said.

He shrugged.

"I can handle my own problems, Rachel".

Of course he could. Hers as well. She felt foolish for questioning the situation when he had already considered every aspect.

"Do you have a pen?" She asked, deciding the best to do was to accept his offer.

He gave her one. Rachel went to the center table, signed the permission and gave it back to him with a grateful smile.

"It's very kind of you to do all this for me".

"I'm glad I can help you".

The white knight... unless for the fact that his eyes were dark blue and full of a pleasure that suddenly seemed too sensual to Rachel. Her heart jumped in her chest. She needed all her will power to ignore the completely undesired arousal that took over her and focus her mind in something else.

"After you left, this morning, I looked over the paper", she stammered. "I thought there might be any mentions to the... scandal. When you went back to the Adrenaline Room, no one said anything?"

"I made sure the story didn't leak. I thought you weren't prepared to bear the press stalking you, since you're very exposed here at the hotel".

Caring about her...

It was even more seductive than his physical magnetism. It was awfully difficult to keep her walls up against what he caused her.

"It'll be impossible to hide the story", he carried on. "Someone'll speak. I just got you time enough to put together a safe place where no one else will have access to without your permission".

It was extraordinary the steps he had taken. But **he** was also extraordinary. The expert, acting for her.

"Thank you. It won't make any different what you say, people will still gossip that I left Finn and moved in your house".

"Will that be a concern for you?"

She thought for a long moment before she replied.

"No. It'll probably soften the humiliation of the scandal and it'll be good for my pride to be linked to you. You're a person more powerful than Finn".

He laughed.

"You're also powerful, Rachel", he said more seriously. "In a different way. You attract people. Even me".

She always thought of him as someone intimidating, dangerous, powerful; a shark always going after what attracted him, biting as much as he wanted and then walking away, looking for a new prey to satisfy him. Nothing held that man back.

However, it was a little exciting to know she also affected him somehow. Her mind shoved away the idea that it could be somewhat sexual. She was still married, and he had Andrea Cohen. It was probably some sense of solidarity that he didn't feel that often. Anyway, it made her feel less like an image he liked onscreen and more like someone who he cared for.

"Well, whatever it is that I have that attracts you, I'm extremely thankful for it. You gave me an out that I wouldn't be able to find by myself".

"I hope it takes us to a happier ending", he smiled and offered his arm for her to take. "Let's have lunch".

She grabbed her purse and curled her arm around his, determined not to worry about the reasons that led him to help her.

"And the fax to the moving company?" She recalled.

"I'll give it to the executive butler before we go downstairs to the restaurant, and ask him to send it right away".

Rachel was happy her split from her mother and Finn was settled in less than a day, and she didn't even have to fight for it. She held tightly to the arm of the man who had made it for her as they left her suite, thinking how lucky she was to have a shark by her side, watching the waters out around her, keeping away everything that was bad.

Her entire body tingled with the physical contact with him, but it wasn't a tingle of fear or alarm, but of excitement, pleasure. She was completely aware of the muscular force of his arm, the very manly power that attracted her feminine instincts, making her wish he were always by her side.

Which was completely out of reality.

And it was a point of weakness, Rachel told herself severely.

She needed to be strong by her own.

But, at that moment, it felt incredibly good to be with Jesse St. James.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Star**

_Four_

**S**ondheim House. A sophisticated name to what was almost a historical mansion in Malibu. It had been built by Burt Hummel, an American billionaire from the seventies and a Stephen Sondheim fan. When the last heir declared himself bankrupt, the house was auctioned to cover the debts, and Jesse St. James bought it.

At the time, everyone thought he had bought it as another investment, to sell it and profit immensely from it. After all, why would a young businessman with a penchant for bachelorhood want to live in a manor? Duplex penthouses were more the style. However, he kept it and moved in it.

Although Rachel had stayed relatively relaxed during lunch at the restaurant, to be inside Jesse's car, next to him, on her way to a limitless stay on his house, made her once again nervous.

The man was a sex bomb. He aroused in her feelings and thoughts that were awfully inadequate.

The manor, with apparent red bricks and three floors, had a beautiful symmetry. The wings ended in white ridges. The main entrance, on the center, also had a white ridge, held up by Doric columns. On the first floor, there were rows of glass doors that filled the rooms with sunlight.

Rachel fell in love instantaneously with Soundheim House. If she could buy it, she'd do it right away.

"Why did you buy this place, Jesse?" She asked, guided by jealousy and curiosity.

"It attracted me".

The words surprised her, but she understood perfectly the feelings they expressed. "So you don't plan on selling it?"

"Never!"

"Why did it attract you?"

"Everything in it pleases me. I feel welcome every time I cross the gates".

The deep satisfaction in his voice echoed in Rachel's mind, making her remember a report she had read about how he had left the acting world to reign over the television station world. The sole heir to a great fortune, born to parents who were always globe-trotting around the world, after spending high school leading the biggest show choir in Ogio (having won Nations four years consecutively), at eighteen Jesse St. James decided to switch a full ride for a Drama major at UCLA for a Business one. Rachel imagined that, during his young days, he hadn't had anything remotely like a home.

"It's beautiful. And I know what you meant with being welcome. I feel like wanting to be sucked in it".

"And stay in. I basically inherited the governess, the cook and the gardener from Kurt Hummel, who lived here before I bought it. Although they could retire with what they got from his father's will, they didn't want to leave. It's their home too".

"Are you glad you kept them?"

"Yes. Their place is here. Weird as it sounds, they became my family. The WES". He smiled. "Shannow Beiste is the governess. Her sister Emma Schuester is the cook. And Emma's husband, William Schuester, is the gardener. They all have their own rooms on the last floor. William hires help as often as he needs too, and Shannon and Emma watch over the maids that come over. They run everything so perfectly I'd be an idiot to hire anyone else".

He parked the Range Rover in front of the house, turned off the engine and turned to her. "You'll soon meet Shannon. She's extremely formal, but you'll like her. She'll show you the guest house and explain how everything works".

It was a relief to know **he** wouldn't escort her there. She smiled again, grateful. "Thanks again for coming to my rescue".

"No problem".

As he led her to the entrance, the door was opened by a tall woman with a perfect composture. She wore black slacks, a grey silk shirt, and polished black flats. Her hair was black peppered with a few white hair, her blue eyes were very clear, and her face, surprisingly smooth for a woman who looked close to her sixties. She didn't look like the smiling type and liked to keep an air of seriousness, in Rachel's opinion.

"Good afternoon, sir", she said with a respectful nod.

"Shannon, this is Miss Rachel Berry".

The woman bowed for her.

"It's a pleasure to receive you at Sondheim House, Ms. Berry".

"Thank you", she replied, smiling.

"I'll go park the car and then to the library, Shannon. I have some business to attend. Can you look after Ms. Berry?"

"Of course, sir. If you'll follow me, Ms. Berry, I'll take you to the guest house".

_A wonderful governess_, Rachel thought as she trailed after her through a hall reigned over by a magnificent staircase that went until a balcony on the second floor. The floor and the staircase were covered with light green carpet, edged with dark green.

There were paintings on the walls, framed in gold. All of them looked famous, but Rachel had no time to study them. They went straight by the staircase, and she realized the hall divided the manor, and that they now went towards double doors at the end of it. There were another doors, closed; Rachel wanted to know what there was behind them, but she didn't feel at home to ask.

Shannon guided her outside, where there was a wonderful terrace that surrounded the entire house. The other three sides of it were limited by a curvy white pergola, held up by the same Doric columns that supported the white ridge on the front door. On the center of the terrace, there was a sparkling pool.

Luxurious green ivy grew over the pergola, providing shade for the tables and chairs in white iron, and vases with flowers gave vivid colors to the base of all columns. Beyond the terrace, there was a spetacular view of the bay.

"The guest house is on the next terrace", Shannon informed her. "It was the children's house back in the day".

"The children's house? They didn't live in the main building?"

"Yes, they did, but they played here during the day, supervised by their nanny. It was convenient to give them their lunch and the snacks, and to put them down for their naps in the afternoons. Mr. Burt said they loved to have a place just for them. He kept it exactly the same way, until he died. He often came here to remember the happy old days".

"Is it still the same?" She wanted it to be, charmed by the idea of a house where children played.

Shannon allowed herself a small smile.

"Not much, although Mr. St. James kept the cottage style when he had it renovated. The old wood oven, the doll house, the shelves and the game cabinet are still in the living room, which now has a TV set and a DVD player. However, the kitchen and the bathroom had to be modernized. I'm sure you'll find it very comfortable, Ms. Berry".

She sighed, wishing she could have seen, felt everything in their original state, although she understood the need of a few modern comforts in a guest house.

A few steps led to the playground, a terrace with luxurious green grass, lined by thick bushes. The house was in one of its corners, built in red bricks, with white doors and windows, a smaller version of the manor. As they went down the steps, Rachel saw there was another terrace a little further away. It ended on a stone wall, which obviously offered protection to the port. There was a pier and, next to it, a boat house.

Shannon unlocked the door, gave her the key and, with a little dramatic gesture, nodded at her to go in. Rachel found herself in a pleasantly cozy living room. At her left, there were two rocking chairs and a couch. There was a plush pillow next to a great arch-like window, where someone could settle down to read or watch the port. A charming doll house stood on a corner nearby. On another, the TV. Shannon showed her the pantry, saying, "My sister Emma brought the most common food, but if there's anything special you want, just pick up the phone to the kitchen and ask".

She opened a fridge, also filled with supplies, including a vegetable casserole, ready to be popped in the oven for the dinner that night.

"Please thank Emma for me. It's incredibly kind of her".

Another benevolent smile from Shannon.

"Let me show you the rest of the house".

There were two bedrooms and an interconnecting bathroom. The old tub, Shannon said, had been replaced with a shower to make space for a washdryer. What before had been the boys' bedroom had two single beds. The girls', a queen-sized bed.

Shannon looked at her watch. "It's a quarter past three now. The moving company said they'd be here around half past four. William, the gardener and Mr. St. James' handman, will command the boxes' unloading, Ms. Berry, and will help you open them and unpack everything you want to. The rest can be stored at the boys' bedroom. Meanwhile, if there's anything else..."

"No, thank you, Shannon. I'll have fun exploring around".

"Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Berry". She said, bowed and left the house.

Rachel's attention was soon diverted to the old books on the shelves. Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe, _Pollyanna_, an old collection of the Britannica Encyclopaedia, a book with pictures of birds, a sewing guide...

Her imagination came up with the image of the nanny teaching the girls how to sew while the boys identified the pictures of the birds on the book. They were scenes of a happy childhood she had never known.

The cabinets kept even more treasures: a still-intacted Monopoly board game, a backgammon board, a chess set in marble, cards, boxes of puzzles from the simplest to the most challenging ones. Rachel decided to start putting one of them together that evening. It would be more fun than watching TV.

She went to the dollhouse. It was made of wood and had two floors. The roof had hinges and it could be open so someone could rearrange the second floor's rooms. The furniture was amazing: chairs, cupboards... Even quilts on the beds. All the windows could be opened and then closed.

The first floor was as wonderful as the second. There was staircase to the second floor, a dining room completely equiped, a kitchen and a living room beautifullly decorated.

Rachel was sitting on the floor, running her finger on the silky cover of a miniature sofa, when a loud sound brought her out of her trance with the small piece of art. She looked behind her and her heart sped up when her eyes locked with Jesse St. James' slate blue ones. They looked at her straight through the glass of the front door. Her face became deeply crimson, as she rushed to stand up, feeling awfully helpless for being caught doing something so childish.

She struggled with her composure as she crossed the room, and managed to crack a small smile as she unlocked the door.

"I never had a door house as a child", she explained.

"Were you **allowed** to be a child, Rachel?"

She made a face. "It was an unusual life. My mother..." Her voice trailed off as her mind instinctively shut down her memories on her mother.

"Neither did mine. Don't you feel there's something very different in this house?"

"Yes, I do", she answered promptly. "I love what I feel here, Jesse".

He nodded. There was something in eyes, an acknowledgement of everything she didn't have, maybe an echo of his own missing childhood.

"May I come in?"

Rachel was embarrassed to leave him standing by the door instead of inviting him in. "Sure. Please".

"Leave the door open", he instructed. "I just wanted a quick word with you before I introduce the bodyguard who's waiting outside".

"Bodyguard?"

"I hired him to drive you to the set or anywhere else you might want to go and bring you back. He'll stand near you whenever you're not here and will assure that you won't be bothered by anyone. It's only a precaution, Rachel. Nothing to worry about. You can release him from his duties later, but I think that, for now, you'll feel safer with him around. Unfortunately, I have another commitments, and I can't be always around to protect you".

"I didn't... I didn't expect you to do it", she said quickly, aware of the time Jesse had wasted on her already.

"I'd like for you to accept the body-guard, even if it is to humor me about me having done everything I could to avoid you any trouble. I hate failures", he said, mocking his own personality.

Taking in consideration everything he had done for her, Rachel thought it was impossible not to do this for him, even if she thought the bodyguard was a bit of an exaggeration.

"Alright. If you think it's really necessary..." She said a little uncertainly.

"Yes, I do".

There was no uncertainty on his voice. He immediately left the house and signaled for someone who should have been waiting on the top of the staircase. Rachel imagined a tall, strong African-American man, built like a bouncer. She was relieved to see someone almost brotherly, dressed conservatively in a black suit, with shaved black hair and hazel eyes. He was on his thirties, being a little older than she. Tall like Jesse, with broad chest and shoulders, Rachel had no doubt he was strong enough to impose on others, but he didn't seem like the bullying type; but a mature man, with the confident air of authority and strength when it was needed.

Jesse introduced them. "Ms. Rachel Berry, Noah Puckerman".

He gently shook her hand. "My pleasure, Ms. Berry. Everyone call me Puck. Feel free to call me that".

"I'd rather call you Noah, if it doesn't bother you", she smiled. "I hope I don't cause you any trouble".

"I'll handle every trouble I find, Ms. Berry. I'll be here six am sharp on Monday morning to drive you to work. If you want to go anywhere before it, all you need to do is call me on this number". He handed her a cell phone with his number already saved.

It was Saturday afternoon. She'd probably be busy unpacking her things for the most part of Sunday, and there was food enough for her.

"Thank you, but I'm not going anywhere tomorrow".

"Keep it. I'll be ready anytime of the day or the night".

"Okay".

"Thanks, Puck", Jesse said, dismissively.

The older man waved in farewell and soon left, leaving Rachel alone with Jesse again. The slate blue eyes bore into hers, like they were digging a hole straight through her heart, which sped up immediately.

"Since you feel at home here, Rachel, I suggest you stay until this season's twelve episodes are finalized. It'll be easier for you, with no tensions to distract you and interfere in your work. Any other guest can stay in the main building. It won't bother me".

Two months living there... It was so appealing...

But two months near him...

"Think about it", he said, in a soft, persuasive tone. "I just want you to know you're welcome here".

"Thank you", she managed to say, hoping he wouldn't see the emotional whirlwind that had taken over her.

"And, please, feel welcome to use the pool anytime you want", he carried on, with a smile that caused her stomach to flutter. "The weather channel says tomorrow will be sunny".

"Thank you", she repeated, and she wondered if she didn't sound like a parrot repeating senseless words.

"Relax, Rachel". The look on his face softened and he stroke her cheek. "Be happy here".

It was a soft touch, but it left Rachel on fire for several minutes after he had left. She didn't walk him to the door – Jesse walked away as she stood stock still, hypnotized, the hand automatically reaching up to cover her highly sensitized skin. She didn't know if it was to hold the sensation there or to dispel it.

What Rachel knew with total certainty was that Jesse St. James affected her like no man before... Deeply. And, although it scared her, it also excited her, as if Jesse were opening doors she wanted to cross... With him.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Star**

_Five_

**J**esse was sitting on one of the pool's chaiselongues, underneath the east pergola, working on one of the Sunday papers' crosswords. From time to time he'd stare at the north corner of the terrace, waiting for Rachel to show up on the top of the small staircase, going for a dive on the pool. It was a warm morning, so hot it was likely a storm would form later. The trees' shade and the light breeze coming from the bay made the wait bearable.

He was working on the path to get what he wanted. He was certain Rachel would accept the invitation to stay, just like he was certain of the sexual chemistry that existed between them. For now, he needed to reign himself. No pressure. She couldn't feel dominated by him.

She had already felt way too controlled by her mother, and she wouldn't want another similar situation. He needed to giver the sense that everything she'd do from now on was by her own choice, but Jesse would manipulate her into wanting him as much as he wanted her.

The intensity of his desire surprised him. It wasn't in his nature to get this involved with a woman. All his previous relationships had existed around sex with women whom he liked, a necessity which he needed to fill. He could have done it on the previous night with Andrea. She had propositioned him, even after Jesse told her their affair was finished, for a last goodbye on bed. But he was completely desinterested.

It had been hard to focus on Andrea – Rachel wouldn't leave his mind. He couldn't stop planning the best way to take her to his bed.

Her husband was a part of the past now, but Jesse didn't think it was right to make her have an affair so suddenly with him. She was too vulnerable, and he'd feel like taking advantage of her. He needed to wait, but the effort he put on suffocating his desire needed a considerate reinforcement when he saw her coming to the pool.

She wore a navy blue swimsuit, with a cut daring enough that he'd catch sight of her breasts. All her adorable feminine curves were on display, and he needed all of his will power to relax and just watch her.

Rachel hadn't noticed his presence. The sunlight straight in her eyes made him practically invisible by the shade of the pergola. She let the towel drop by the edge of the pool, took off her flipflops and stepped on the water through the pool's staircase, which led to the swallow part of it. Heated up by the sun, the water was pleasant. She smiled as she sunk on the water and shook her arms, creating waves. Jesse found the color on her cheeks strangely charming, almost childish, and also smiled.

She didn't swim. She only left the steps, floating, twirling, playing on the water. He could've watched her for a considerably longer time, enjoying the unrestrained pleasure, but when she started swimming, Jesse thought it was time for him to act. He rose from the chair and went to the opposite edge of the pool, ready to greet her when she reached it.

* * *

><p><strong>"G<strong>ood morning".

Rachel was so surprised with the greeting that her hand almost slipped from the edge. She had thought she was alone on the terrace, that she'd have the entire pool for herself, but then she heard Jesse's voice. He was there, almost three and a half feet away, and her heart picked up on its rhythm when she saw that man's wonderful physique, undressed apart for black swimming trunks that covered almost nothing.

He had the body of a seasoned dancer: broad chest and shoulders, strong arms, each muscle painstakingly defined; slim waist and hips, powerful legs and calves, and his slightly tanned skin glowed like it had been polished. It was so sudden she barely could breathe.

He smiled.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I was reading the papers under the pergola. When I heard you swimming, I thought I should jump in a little. Do you mind if I join you?"

"No. No, of course not", she stammered.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Like a baby". She made a face; the words reminded her of the baby Quinn would have, the baby she was denied.

Jesse noticed her face and frowned.

"Everything right at the guest house?"

"Perfect", she assured, smiling.

"Great. Let's swim".

She watched as he swam for a few minutes, trying to calm down her heart and rip from her mind the fact that no man was a match for Jesse St. James when it was about physical attraction.

Finn's physique was nice, but he lacked all that male strength. Amazingly, she hadn't thought that much about Finn and Quinn since she had arrived there, as if Jesse had stepped between her and them, blocking them with his devastating presence.

Rachel would be safe if she stayed there, safe from the terrible arguments with Finn, from her mother's pressure and blackmail.

But was she safe with a shark?

The thought appeared in her mind when Jesse was done with his laps on the pool and stood next to her, his brilliant blue eyes teasing her as he asked, "Have I intimidated you?"

"I'd never manage to keep up with you".

"I'll slow down".

"In a more pleasant rhythm".

"No doubt".

She sunk in the water before he did, wishing the activity calmed her. Jesse wasn't hitting on her, that was the way he usually behaved. Besides, he had Andrea Cohen. Of course she was safe with him.

They swam for several minutes, until she stopped at the swallow part, where she had left her towel.

"You done?" He asked.

"For now", she replied, going up the staircase, so aware of the fact that he was watching her that she quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her body.

"I hate to ruin the day, but I think you should read what Santana Lopez wrote on the entertainment session of today's paper".

"Is it bad?"

"A little tabloidish", he answered, pointing to the east pergola. "Come read. I'll give you a cold beverage to make it tolerable".

She trailed after him, anxious and aprehensive. She was relieved when, once they reached the pergola, he wrapped a towel around his waist. Jesse pointed to a paper.

"That's it. Sit down, Rachel". He picked up a big pitcher of juice as he spoke, "Apparently Finn leaked the story. Revenge, I think, after the moving company brought your things here. He asked who had authorized them to do such a thing, and they showed him the fax with my address to him".

Rachel could imagine Finn wanting revenge.

"Santana Lopez called me last afternoon, wanting confirmation of your presence in my house and asking what I had to say about it. She wanted to talk to you as well, but you were happy at the children's house, and I thought you didn't want to be bothered by malicious insinuations. I hope you don't mind this new interference of mine concerning Santana".

She shook her head.

"I'm sure you dealt with it better than I would have".

He shrugged and sat down on the chair across to hers, the look in his eyes changing to a hard, ruthless spark.

"I told her the truth". His voice gained a mocking edge. "Finn had told her you left him to be with me, hiding important details like his infidelity and your personal assistant's pregnancy. I ratted him out and, apparently, your mother confirmed everything, also taking the opportunity to criticize me about bringing you here while you needed the comfort only a mother could provide. She didn't even mention her time as your manager is up".

"I'm so sorry, Jesse. I warned you there'd be backlash for protecting me".

"That makes me more determined than before to keep doing it. You need to keep yourself completely apart from them, Rachel. It's best you stay here the next two months, to avoid all the mess. As I said, it won't bother me, and it will keep them away from you só you can decide your own future".

_He likes to command a battlefield_, Rachel thought. A born warrior. And she liked to be protected by him. _Maybe a little too much. _But she could learn to defend herself with him.

"It's best I read everything".

The report was headlined, **_Jesse St. James' Star Rocked By Scandal_**, and it had more details than he had given her; Finn complained Jesse had influenced her; Shelby saying Jesse had intervened in a mother's relationship with her daughter without caring about what was best for Rachel. Overall, the two of them put him as a ruthless manipulator, which was far from the truth.

Jesse had told the truth; she was in shock, disorientated by what had happened at the party, and hadn't wanted to go home. So, he had offered her his guest house for her to stay as long as she wanted. It ended saying it had been impossible to reach Rachel Berry.

"You should sue them for slander for the things they said about you".

"Irrelevant", he said, smiling ironically. "It's best not to give them the fifteen minutes of fame they want. Let them be forgotten as the show goes on".

"Do you know what's more repulsive? My mother and Finn talked me into not getting pregnant because it was more important to star in your show".

He couldn't look her in the eye and frowned.

"I think you wouldn't want me anymore if I had gotten pregnant", she said, thinking the look on his face was a confirmation to what Finn and her mother had said.

He shook his head.

"Nothing would've changed my decision to have you as the lead on the show", he looked at her again. "If you had gotten pregnant, Rachel, I'd have the story altered to write it in".

"Seriously?"

"Seriously".

"Then they were wrong". It was strange how that felt satisfying. "Not that it mattered anyway. Finn's affair with Quinn would've been even worse if I had gotten pregnant. I bet my mother knew. She never misses anything".

"I think you're right. She didn't show anger or disgust for their behavior when I confronted them at the hotel. She was only pissed that things hadn't worked out the way she wanted".

Pissed... Rachel had always felt intimidated by her mother's behavior, and she detested the way she dealt with the others.

She noticed Jesse seemed thoughtful, looking towards the pool as if pondering an issue, weighing its effects and how to deal with the situation. After a few minutes, he turned to her with a curious, inquisitive stare.

"Rachel, tell me... You're only 27... Are you desperate to get pregnant?"

She blushed, ashamed of having spoken about a baby and knowing that many women waited until after their thirties to start a family.

"Not desperate..." She denied quickly, but admitted with a shrug, "I just wanted to have something I knew to be real in my life. My mother twisted everything around, and só did Finn. But a baby... There's nothing more honest in the world than a baby, is there?"

"Honest..." He parroted, thoughtfully.

"I'm glad it hasn't happened. That would have shackled me to Finn for the rest of my life".

"Yeah. As it is, you'll be able to move on".

She scowled.

"If you don't count the divorce".

"The lawyers can work everything out. You don't need to meet him. I was just wondering if you'd jump in someone else's bed just to get pregant".

That shocked her, and Rachel denied vehemently.

"I'm not that stupid, Jesse!"

He shook his head.

"I don't think you're stupid, Rachel, but people don't usually act in a reasonable way when they go through a traumatic change in their lives".

"I have problems enough already dealing with my own life. I wouldn't want to add a baby to it".

Jesse smiled, satisfied that she wasn't about to lose focus and ruin his chances of putting her on the right track. But, even so, she noticed something else in that satisfaction, a hint of hunger, and she shivered.

"I'm starving", he said. "It's lunch time".

Rachel sighed, relieved that his air of hunger had nothing to do with her.

He picked up his phone. "I'll ask Shannon to bring lunch here. Do I order for the two of us? It won't be an issue for Emma. I asked for vegan lasagna, and she always cooks enough to feed an army".

The invitation was irresistible. Despite the disturbing physical attraction, she liked to talk to him, to listen to what he thought about her situation, the way he made everything clearer for her.

"I'd love to".

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse watched as she smiled, the soft curve of her lips, the dimple that appeared in her cheeks, the warm pleasure in her beautiful brown eyes... She didn't wear makeup. Her hair was drying naturally, forming waves that framed her face. Her skin glowed; it was spotless.

He wanted to touch her, taste her, but it wasn't the moment. He called Shannon and ordered lunch for two at the pool, knowing he needed to keep the meeting casual, something relaxing, nice, troubleless, to convince her to stay the two months.

The baby issue could have caused problems to his plans. It was a relief to be able to push it aside. But, for a few moments, he imagined how it would be if they filled that house with children again. A brief thought, which didn't go with his lifestyle.

They spent more than two hours talking by the edge of the pool. Jesse kept the conversation light, impersonal, safe, making Rachel let loose talking about what she thought of the show, her role, the other actors in the cast...

"You know, Jesse, I don't have a special gift to show emotion when it's tape to shoot", she said in a certain moment. "When I snag a role, I come up with all the character's previous life in my mind, so that I know everything about her, why she does something or feel a certain way in several situations. When I'm in front of a camera, I **am** her. I show that, and that's it".

He respected the effort she put as she adopted a new character, but she was wrong to say she didn't have a special gift. The myriad of emotions was clear on her face all the time. He didn't have to study her to know what she felt. Her face said it all.

Jesse noticed her for the first time in an off-Broadway play. He was 21, had just switched majors at college and was vacationing in New York; a friend had invited him to watch the play. She outshone all the other members of the cast.

Researching, he found out she was always prepared for stardom and fame, not only onstage but also onscreen: singing lessons, dancing lessons, acting lessons... She tried her hand at pageants and she was had the highest scores on the talent shows. As he built his empire, he kept her in his mind, waiting until he had a script that showcased her special talent and, now that he had it, she hadn't disappointed him.

It was a common knowledge that her father was a great fan of the arts. There were those who still grieved Hiram Berry's death, suicide caused by depression. He had divorced Shelby when Rachel was still a little girl, admitting he had an extramarital affair with a lawyer, Leroy. Out of revenge, Shelby kept Rachel from Hiram. Jesse could imagine the situation, unable to visualize Shelby helping her ex-husband to overcome the situation, sinking him even deeper on his disease with her selfishness.

Jesse didn't want Rachel to be depressed and thus unable to play her role in the show – a great reason to keep her there with him, out of her mother's reach. She seemed happy. Even so, he couldn't keep her spirits up when she was alone.

A idea ocurred to him. She wanted a baby. He could give her a kitten or a puppy, which she could take care of and spoil, a distraction from her loneliness.

But her next sentence changed completely his trail of thoughs.

"I'll stay the two months, Jesse", Rachel said, decided, as she finished drinking her coffee.

And she said even more, expressing gratitude for his offer and everything else, but he could barely hear her, his mind heavy with joy.

He had done it.

And he would have everything he wanted from Rachel Berry before she left the children's house.

He would win her over.


	6. Chapter 6

**the star**

_six_

**R**achel was glad to have accepted the services of Noah Puckerman on Monday morning, glad Jesse had instructed him to take the black sedan Audi Quattro, with tinted windows, to drive her wherever she wanted to go. There were paparazzi camping out outside of the mansion's gates, and also at the studio's entrance.

When they were in the safety of the studio's estate, she asked Noah to stop the car so she could speak to the security guard.

"Ms. Berry?" The guard asked.

She smiled.

"Good morning. I just wanted to warn you that my mother, Shelby Corcoran, isn't my manager anymore, and she isn't welcome at the set".

He nodded.

"Mr. St. James has already given me instructions about that. Also about Mr. Hudson and Ms. Fabray. Don't worry".

"Thank you".

Jesse... Always a step ahead of her. He thought of everything.

The day on set was way better without her mother meddling into everything, watching, criticizing, ordering. Everyone knew already about Rachel's situation and showed a lot of comprehension. Only when she displayed she wasn't disturbed, but determined to move on, everyone was more relaxed towards her. Rachel felt her selfconfidence grow as she followed the director's instructions without interruptions.

Solidarity gave place to curiosity. She didn't act like a traumatized woman. Had she left her unfaithful husband and jumped headfirst into a relationship with Jesse St. James? No one spoke that, but Rachel could see it in their eyes. Strangely, she didn't feel ashamed. Although it wasn't true, she felt people wouldn't crucify her if it were. Anyway, that was her and Jesse's issue.

However, that afternoon, she ended up talking about tje deal between them. After she left the studio, she asked Noah to drive her to her favorite grocery shop, in Santa Monica, to buy fruit and vegetable and not be so dependent of what Emma had left in the guest house.

It had been a few minutes since Rachel entered the grocery shop when she heard a familiar voice.

"It's awful when a mother is forced to stalk a car to be able to talk to her daughter!"

Rachel dropped the lettuce she held. Her heart skipped a beat when she turned to face the attack head on. Her mother was furious, her hands lifting up like claws to grab Rachel's shoulders and shake her. The old instinct nearly made her give in, but Rachel resisted. She was no longer a child to be looked down at, and she didn't **belong** to her mother anymore. She straightened her spine and didn't move, although she felt her legs start shaking.

Noah Puckerman intervened and she almost fell apart in relief.

"Get out of the way! She's **my **daughter!" Her mother hissed, holding his arm and trying to shove it out of the way.

"Ms. Berry?" Noah looked at Rachel, as if waiting for instructions.

He would send her mother away and escort her out of there. All she needed to do was ask. The temptation to run away assaulted her, but she had been weak for enough time. To run away now would admit her mother still had power over her, that she would always have. If she wanted a more independent life, that needed to end.

She shook her head.

"I'll talk to her, but stay around, Noah", she turned to her mother, with drive shining in her eyes. "if you make any more scenes, my body-guard will intervene and we will leave. Am I clear, mother?"

"**Your** body-guard?" Shelby mocked, as Noah walked away to leave them face to face. "Jesse St. James', you mean. He's completely controlling you, and you're too naïve to notice!"

"He's just protecting me of the kind of harassment you're putting me through right now".

"And why is he doing that, Rachel? Have you wondered?"

"It doesn't matter to me. I walked away of that fake marriage, which you wanted to keep me in só that I kept working and making money. I'm not so naïve I won't notice that, mother".

"You worked today to make money to Jesse St. James".

"**He** didn't lie to me".

"It was for your own good, Rachel. The affair would have ended with no hurt for you if Quinn hadn't gotten pregnant".

"I don't like what you think it's good for me. I won't accept that anymore".

"You need me, Rachel. Without me, you'll be lost. I took care of everything for you for a very long time".

"I'll learn how to do everything by myself".

"And you think you'll be able to learn in a day?" Shelby mocked.

"No... I know it will take a while".

"Where will you live?"

Rachel hesitated a bit; she hadn't thought about it yet.

"You can't stay at Jesse's guest house forever", her mother carried on.

"No, of course not".

"He invited you to stay there, didn't he? How long?"

"It's none of your business".

"More than a few days. More than a week, so that you think you don't need me. A month? Two months?" Especulation turned into triumphant certainty. "That's it. Two months. Until the show is wrapped up. It's convenient for him. And you're so naïve you fell into his trap".

"It's convenient for me too!" Rachel shot back, hating how her mother always twisted everything.

"Jesse St. James is worse than Finn, ditching women every single moment. He's preparing you for when he breaks up with Andrea Cohen, which will happen soon, you can be sure of it. Before those two months, you'll be in his bed".

It was dangerous... That undercurrent of physical attraction... Impossible to ignore, but, even só, she hated how her mother visualized the situation.

"You'll end up in a bigger mess than the one you're in now", Shelby carried on. "You need me, Rachel. It was **me** who always protected you. Jesse St. James is a predator. He'll chew you and, when his sexual appetite is satisfied..."

"**ENOUGH**!" Rachel screamed. "I don't have to hear that, and I **won't**! Noah, I want to leave now".

He immediately wrapped her arm around his, holding the other one out in a sweeping motion.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Corcoran", he said politely, beginning to lead Rachel through the grocery shop aisles towards the exit.

"When you realize I'm right, Rachel, come back home. I'll take care of you".

Rachel kept a blank look on her face, looking straight ahead, refusing to recognize she wouldn't be able to take care of herself.

She would.

As for the rest, Jesse wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.

Unlike her mother, who always dictated what to do, he always gave her options. And also unlike Finn, who cheated on women, being with two at the same time.

At least she could be herself with Jesse. She liked that. She would never take steps back to the point where she would go back home asking for her mother to help. Never.

"Do you want me to take you to another mall?" Noah asked once he had her settled in the car.

She had forgotten the cart with the few fruits she had picked.

"Tomorrow afternoon", she said, too shaken by the confrontation to be able to think about food, and knowing she could live with what there was in the kitchen of the guest house. "Let's go home, please, Noah".

_ Home_... Tears threatened to bubble in her eyes when she said that. The children house wasn't her home; even so, it looked more like one than any place she had ever lived with her mother. But Rachel didn't care. In some moment of the next two months, she would find a place for herself.

It was hard to contain her tears. She felt her heart clenching. Jessse had made possible for her to leave her past and her mother behind, but to meet her face to face... She felt physically and mentally drained for having to face her. She had ended up running from the confrontation with the help of the bodyguard Jesse had the sense to hire. Any way else, would she be able to do so?

She didn't know. The old feeling of being helpless grew within her, although Rachel tried to fight it off with all of her strength. It wasn't easy to leave behind an entire life of domination, doing everything the others ordered. She needed the refuge Jesse had given to her, the time to fortify herself. But what if her mother was right? Did Jesse have a personal reason, besides the professional one, to help her? Was she so naïve?

The tears fell. She desperately tried to wipe them and get back her composure while they reached Jesse's manor. Noah opened the car door for Rachel, who kept her face down as she walked out of it.

"Thank you. I'll see you in the morning, Noah".

"Have a good night, Ms. Berry".

"You too", she muttered, running to the safety of the children house, seeking the cozy comfort to lock outside the awful feelings the confrontation with her mother had arisen.

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse felt her jaw clench as he listened to Noah Puckerman's report. Shelby Corcoran obviously would do anything to get her meat ticket. She'd plant doubts, fears and suspicions in Rachel's mind; everything to undermine her trust in him. It was great that Rachel had challenged her, but what would it cost?

"Her mother is a bitch", Puck said. "I'd say it's likely that the abuse in her relationship with her daughter wasn't only psychological, but physical too. I don't hit women, but I wanted to kick her ass".

"Although I relate to your urge, be aware that she's capable of having you charged with aggression and manipulating the situation for her own gain", Jesse advised.

"Ms. Berry..." Puck shook his head. "You did good keeping her away from her".

Doubts about Jesse's intentions had also been planted in his mind. Jesse noticed he questioned if that situation was best for Rachel, in the long haul. _But that's none of his business_, Jess thought, _and he knows it_. Puck didn't say what he was thinking, but he cared, thanks to Rachel's special gift that inspired that feeling in men, and that made him say, "She was crying on the car. I don't know if there's anything you can do about it".

"I can distract her", Jesse said with a smile. "It's highly likely you'll have to take care of a puppy onset tomorrow every time Ms. Berry needs to shoot a scene".

The bodyguard's concern was replaced with a wide smile.

"No worries, Mr. St. James. I also have a dog; I always liked them".

With his report finished, they stood up and exchanged a firm handshake; the bodyguard left the office. Jesse sat back down on the chair behind the dest and wondered where he would get with Rachel. There were no doubts that it had been good for her to get Shelby away. But what about him, would he be good for Rachel in the long term?

He had never wondered about that when he was going after another woman. They knew how things worked with him, and Jesse didn't feel resposible for the choices they made. But Rachel was different. She was very, very vulnerable. He had to take it into account, or it would be hard to deal with the feelings of guilt later on.

* * *

><p><strong>R<strong>achel made a face as she heard the knock on the door. She had washed her tear-filled face, had taken a long shower to relieve the tension, wrapped herself up on a silky bathrobe and had curled on the seat by the window, trying to clear her mind by watching the bay. She didn't want to see or talk to anyone. She didn't want to think.

The knock came again.

Several times.

Growing more insistent.

That forced her to realize that, whoever it was, they knew she was home and would be concerned if she didn't answer. With a reluctant sigh, she set her feet on the ground and walked to the door. The wrinkled face of William was pressed against one of the glass panels of the door, relief replacing the concern when he realized she was approaching.

William was in his sixties, still surprisingly strong and with his skin deeply tanned since he worked outside, although he always had a cap on to protect his face from the sun.

He smiled encouragingly at her, showing off her teeth, yellowed by the years he had smoked. He had an armful of bags, probably things he wanted to deliver to her. Rachel only realized he wasn't alone when she was practically by the door. Standing a few steps behind, there was the unmistakable silhouette of Jesse St. James, with his back turned to her, his head slightly bowed as if he was studying the grass.

Her heart sped up instantly, her hands lifting in a quick move towards the loosest part of her bathrobe, close to her breasts. Her **naked** breasts. She felt her nipples harden. If her mother was right about what Jesse wanted with her, Rachel couldn't allow him to see her dressed like that. He could see it as an invitation. Besides, although she was fully dressed, Jesse's presence was enough to leave her extremely aware of his powerful sexuality, and how much this affected her.

She made a gesture asking for William to wait and ran to her bedroom. She stripped the robe, put some underwear on, shorts and a t-shirt, put some flipflops on, brushed her hair and looked reasonably adequate. She decided not to apply any makeup, thinking it was better that way. It showed she wasn't looked to be attractive. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and went back to ther door, opening it without hesitation and saying, "I'm sorry I made you wait. I wasn't waiting for guests and-"

"Don't worry, Miss Rachel", William said, with a big smile. "We brought you a little welcome gift".

"A gift...?"

William stepped aside when Jesse turned to face her. Rachel's confusion grew into a surprised gasp when she saw the small black and white puppy in his arms.

"It's a miniature _cocker spaniel_", Jesse explained, smiling indulgently to the puppy that licked his hand. "It looked at me through the petshop window glass and his eyes told me it needed someone to love it". He looked up from the puppy, and his cobalt blue eyes bore into Rachel's, warming her to her core. "I immediately thought of you, Rachel, and how you told me you wanted something real in your life".

"You bought it for me?" She said, happiness mixing with the shame of allowing her mother to poison her against that man – her wonderful white knight, giving her everything she needed... His dark sides didn't matter.

"Do you want it?"

"Please!" She avidly held her arms out, where the puppy quickly nestled into. "I was never allowed to have a pet! I'll love it so much, Jesse! Thank you!"

She hugged the puppy and laughed when it licked her neck.

"Here you have everything he needs", William said. "A bed for him to sleep, food, bowls for food and water, a collar, shampoo... The full package. Can I come in and show you everything?"

"Yes, please!"

She stepped back to give him space so that he came in, waiting for Jesse to follow after him. But he didn't. He stood next to the door for a few minutes, watching her with the puppy, that man's pure magnetism making her heart speed up and leaving her breathless. And, when he smiled at her, Rachel even felt dizzy.

"To see you happy is a reward", he said softly. "I'll leave you alone, Rachel".

He didn't wait for her reply, walking away in large steps before she even came up with the right words. Rachel told herself that she had already thanked him anyway. But his departure, and that wonderful gift, left her ashamed for having allowed her mother to tarnish the image of him slaying the dragons in her life.

She lifted the puppy to look inside his eyes what had caught Jesse's attention at the shop. Rachel saw the same expression in them, how he asked for love, and smiled. "Here's your home. Here with me", she promised.

And, in that sweet bonding moment with the puppy, she felt a huge wave of love for the man who had given her so much without asking anything but her contract with him being fulfilled the best way she knew how.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **In this, Rachel's a vegetarian, and not a vegan (I don't believe I have mentioned before her eating habits). I'd like to thank you all for the reviews and alerts and favorites. You truly are amazing. I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

**the star**

_seven_

**T**he rest of the week went by with no unpleasant accident. Rachel was nervous to go shopping again, but she refused to allow that to stop her. She told herself that meant her mother still controlled her. She bought what she liked to eat and enjoyed all the nights at the children house, loving the company of her puppy. She didn't see Jesse, what made her even more comfortable with the situation, feeling her mother was really wrong about the reasons that made him to protect her.

On Saturday it was a wonderful day, and she felt tempted to go out as soon as she finished cleaning the house. It amused her to take walks with her puppy on the garden. He stopped and sniffed everything, he would bark when he found a frog and kept jumping everywhere in pure happiness. Rachel would laugh every time he stumbled and, immediately after, would stand up looking around, as if he asked he did that to him.

She always ended up rolling around the grass with him, and that was how Jesse found her, on his way to the boat house.

"Hello!" He said, startling Rachel. She straightened up her spine immediately, which compelled him to add, "Don't get up. It's good to see you so relaxed, and I'm just passing through. It's such a perfect day I thought of taking the boat out of the port".

Just like her, he also wore shorts and a t-shirt, and once again Rachel was stunned by his wonderful physique. He crouched down and held his arms out for the little dog, which rushed over to sniff him.

"Hi, buddy". As he gave the puppy one of his hands to lick, Jesse scratched behind his ears with the other, smiling at Rachel. "Which name did you pick anyway?"

"Fiyero".

"Fiyero?" He repeated, surprised, kinking an eyebrow up. "It's an unusual name for a puppy".

"_Wicked _is one of my favorite musicals. I always wanted to play Elphaba".

"Okay. I understand the significance of it".

"A name deserves to be thought through. It accompanies you throughout your life", she smiled. "Mine reflects my Judaism. My father picked it".

He noticed the glimmer of grief in her eyes before she could hide it. To distract her from her sad memories, Jesse fell on his back on the grass, pretending Fiyero had knocked him down. The puppy jumped on his chest and frantically licked his chin.

"Help! Make him stop!" Jesse pleaded.

"Fiyero, come here!" She said firmly, and the puppy ran towards her, his tail flicking. She held him in her arms and looked amused at Jesse, as he rolled on his side and rested his weight on his elbow. "I don't believe you needed to be saved from a cocker spaniel puppy".

His blue eyes sparkled teasingly.

"He was enjoying to have a taste of me. He could have eaten me up".

She burst out laughing.

He smiled, and that made a wave of female hormones to explode inside Rachel. He was só attractive that for a moment she envied the intimate relationship Andrea Cohen had with him, wishing she could experiment with him as lovers. Her mind immediately blocked the thought and seeked for a distraction.

"Did you have a dog as a child, Jesse?"

The smile became an ironic mask on his face as he shook his head.

"To live in my house... It wouldn't be fair to the dog".

_It wasn't fair to you either_, she thought. Distant parents, even if wealthy, couldn't have given him a stable life.

"I had rehearsals even during Sunday mornings, when we prepared for competitions. Those rehearsals would start at seven every morning and would go until ten, eleven at night", he explained.

"You've changed a lot in your life since then".

"I have. But my life is still too rushed to have a dog".

_Or a wife_.

She wondered if all those years living with his parents had taught him not to get too attached to anything or anyone, and to count only with himself. But that place attracted him.

"But now you have a home".

"A home to come back to. I travel a lot, Rachel".

"Don't you ever get tired of traveling?"

"Flights can be boring. US aren't exactly close to the other great entertainment centers. But I like to see the world as my backyard, to not be hindered by limits".

She sighed. 'You made me realize how limited my world was. I never even got to leave the country. My mother always kept piling work up for me. I rarely rested".

"You can change it if you want too".

Yes, she could. Freedom was something powerful, if she learnt to use it wisely.

"Have you ever gone sailing, Rachel?"

"No".

"Then come with me to the catamaran. We'll be out for only an hour or two, and Will can take care of Fiyero. He's on the backyard working on the bushes".

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse watched as temptation warred with caution. She wanted to accept, undoubtedly, but Shelby, surely, had fed her fear of being alone with the big bad shark. The puppy had made that first meeting safe, allowing Rachel to relax, but without Fiyero...

She looked at the port; her jaw clenched slightly. Then, with an air of determination, she looked back at him. "You'll need to tell me what to do".

"You won't need to do anything, other than to sit or lie on the deck and enjoy it as we sail", he assured her, smiling as he stood up. "I'll take the catamaran to the beach and prepare it while you drop Fiyero with Will".

When she rose from the grass, her face shone with great happiness.

"I'll be as fast as I can".

"No need to rush. Grab a hat, and apply sunscreen".

"Okay".

Triumph filled Jesse as he walked to the boat house. Shelby's influence on Rachel was vanishing quickly, which was very good. He wanted her to feel free to choose for herself. And she had just chosen to be with him, in spite of the opinion of the others.

When they left the port, Jesse realized that his victory had a down side. He had the thrilling pleasure of seeing Rachel's glowing joy as they sailed on the beach, how she laughed as she saw the water splashing against the boat, getting them both wet. She didn't care about how she looked, loving how it felt to sail. And that sent Jesse's desire to unbelievable highs, to the point where it became unbearable.

Several times he had to turn his back on her, to seriously focus on working the sails, changing the direction of the catamaran, waiting until his tension lifted off a little. His loose shorts hid his reaction, but not anymore when the both of them got wet. And the fact that Rachel's wet clothes adhered to her seductive curves only made things worse.

Jesse couldn't remember ever having felt like that for a woman. He wanted to lick the salty water off Rachel's beautiful face, to taste her musical laughter, to rip her clothes off, bury his face in her breasts, lick the nipples that so teasingly popped up, to bury himself in her that nothing else would matter; to voraciously have sex with her, in a way that would erase all the reasos for which they couldn't do that.

He knew Rachel wasn't immune to his sex appeal. The occasional deep sigh, and how she looked away, pulling her long, unclothed legs closer to her body revealed a lot. The big question was: would she resist what he wanted with her, or would she welcome it?

A risky business.

To rush her could shatter the trust Rachel had in him... But it was so hard to control himself...

He would give it at least one more week. He'd keep building the chemistry between them, breaking down the walls she had built, making tempting invitations, which would look innocent, with no reason to be refused...

"Did you have fun?" He asked as they left the catamaran, holding out his hand to help Rachel get out of it.

"It was wonderful, Jesse! Thank you!"

"Sailing makes me hungry. Do yohu want to have lunch with me by the pool after you have a shower?"

She hesitated, again.

He insisted, adding, "We can feed Fiyero bits of our food under the table".

She laughed. "He loves chicken".

"I'll ask Emma to make chicken salad".

"I'm glad. You'll have two excited guests".

"I'll be glad to have the company".

* * *

><p><strong>L<strong>unch was delicious. Jesse was completely relaxed, amused by Fiyero's appetite for chicken. Rachel had put a cover-up over her bikini and, relieved that she had her body a little less exposed, she relaxed too. Jesse was swimming when she arrived, and had a towel wrapped around his waist, a cover decent enough to lessen how affected she was by his body.

Fiyero settled down on a pool chair and slept as they kept by the table, polishing off the bottle of wine Shannon had brought with the food.

"Jesse, I know your parents were absent and died when you were still young. Your life wasn't much better than my own. I'd like to know how you managed to overcome everything".

He looked away, with a blank expression. When he finally spoke, his voice was dry. "I grew up practically raised by nannies and maids. I overcame it because I had no choice". He looked at her, with dark, fierce eyes. "Your path is harder, Rachel. You know you have someone to ask for help if things get too difficult. This can weaken your impulse to move forward".

"I'll never go back to my mother".

He smiled.

"I hope not. I saw an energy in you today that you didn't have before".

**He** had made her feel more alive than ever. It wasn't make believe, an escape from reality.

"Did you daydream when you were a child, Jesse?"

"No. I sang. I danced. I had no bed time, and those made me tired enough to fall asleep. I'd stay in my house's music room, rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing. Trying to understand what made a musical so different and no less special than the others. Was it the script? The music? the cast? The director? What could I do to stand out in a world of others like me? Probably thinking like that since my childhood was the best preparation for what I do now: to think of how to improve what is already good, to contract the right cast and crew to make a show even more attractive.

"But you didn't start behind the cameras. And you could have been successful as an actor". He certainly had that it quality of masculinity that was very attractive.

"When I started college, I found out I didn't want to be an actor. Don't ask me why. I wanted to run the show, to have control, to do everything my way".

_The master of his own destiny_, she thought.

"When I turned 21, I switched majors on school and interned on a great television station. That opened doors to get where I wanted".

Rachel didn't know his exact age; he was a little older than she was, nearing thirty, maybe. It was a big feat, to be so young and a billionnaire TV baron.

"It must be incredibly satisfying for you to be able to choose which shows you want to produce", she commented.

"Hum..." An impetuous drive shone in his eyes. "The way **I** wanted".

"Like managing to hire me to lead this show", she said, remembering what he had said. "You didn't care how much my mother bargained for the contract".

His mouth twisted a little, and the look in his eyes changed into something that made her heart jump and her entire body tingle.

"I wanted **you**", he said.

It was apparently a professional comment, but it didn't look like one. She quickly looked down and covered her inner confusion reaching for her glass of wine, nearly empty, and finishing it off. Was she hearing what she wanted to hear, seeing what she wanted to see? Jesse was in a relationship with another woman, a breathtakingly beautiful woman that probably was as self-confident as he was. Why would a man such as himself want a woman as weak as she?

Besides, she shouldn't be feeling excited with the idea that the attraction she felt for him was mutual. That gave their situation an outlook that was dangerously close to the one her mother had of it. But Jesse hadn't tried to seduce her. There wasn't even a hint of a pickup line. They were just talking. Which was what she should be doing, instead of thinking.

"Which was your favorite show growing up, Jesse?" She asked, forcing herself to look at him with a curious interest.

"_House, M.D_", he replied without hesitation. "The writing was brilliant, the cast, expertly directed, the acting was flawless, and it could make people laugh or cry, I mean, to rise every kind of emotion. I loved that show.

Love... That was what she sensed in his voice, and she wondered if he had ever loved a woman with that same fervor, loving her completely.

"Did you like it too?" He asked.

Rachel had to focus again on the conversation.

"No. My mother controlled everything I watched".

"Do you want to watch it for a while? I have the full _House _collection on my office. I can lend you the first season DVD set and, if you like it..."

"Yes, please. Can we go pick it up now, Jesse? The morning exercise and the wine during lunch... I'm feeling a little drowsy and I want to take a nap now, but I'd love to see what you saw in _House_ once I'm awake".

He nodded, rising from his chair, and she quickly picked up a still asleep Fiyero. The walk to Jesse's office lasted only ten minutes. It was amazing: his shelves had more TV shows' and films' DVD discs than books, although there was plenty of those too. Jesse went straight to the _House _collection, gave her a small box of DVDs and told her she could switch them for others when she wished to. Rachel thanked him and soon left.

She was **really** tired and went to sleep.

Fiyero's loud barking woke her up. She rolled to her side, planning to pick him up and soothe him so that he silenced, but she realized the sound came from the living room.

Frowning as she considered what could have bothered her puppy, she got up from bed, automatically covering herself with the silk robe as she left the bedroom.

And she froze.

A face peeked through the glass panels of the front door. A face she never wanted to see again.

Finn Hudson.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Hello, darlings! First, thanks for all the reviews, all the favorites and all the alerts. It's exciting that you seem to like this little project of mine so much. Second, for the next two weeks there won't be any update. I'm going to travel on a little vacation with my fiancé and we'll spend ten days just enjoying each other's company. Now, onto the story.

**the star**

_eight_

**W**hile Rachel watched disbelievingly on, Finn saw her. With a smug, satisfied look on his face, he stepped back, held out his hand to the doorknob and turned it; Rachel had completely forgotten to lock it. Besides, she should have been safe in Jesse's house.

The door opened and Finn walked in before Rachel could say or do anything to stop him.

"I doubted this was the right place, since there was a fucking dog here", he said, looking evilly at Fiyero, who was still barking and jumping at his legs, as if trying to kick him out.

"You don't have the right to be in this house, Finn".

"You're still my wife, and it isn't Jesse Millionnaire St. James' business to get between us".

"You didn't care when Quinn Fabray did the same".

"That was nothing".

"I wouldn't call a baby nothing".

His face softened.

"If you only listened to me, Rachel..."

"I don't want to hear more lies from you, Finn. That's why I accepted Jesse's invitation to move here. I just wanted to know how you managed to sidestep the security".

He smirked.

"I came by boat, under the pier not to trigger any alarm and then climbed the rocks".

"Then I advise you to go back where you came from, or I'll call the main house and you'll be sued for trespassing".

"You won't call anyone, Rachel!" Moving quickly, he stood between her and the phone, raising both hands to prove himself unharmful. "I just want to talk. For the years we had together, I think I have the right to..."

"**No**!" She cut him, decided not to let him convince her otherwise. "Our marriage is over, Finn! I'm not changing my mind!"

"I know you're upset, but..." He growled and frowned as he looked down at Fiyero, who had stopped to bark in order to bite Finn's pants. "Can you call off this damn dog? He's ruining my pants!"

"I don't like when people curse at my dog. He's only doing what he can to protect me from an intruder, and I don't give a crap about your pants. You should give up and leave, Finn".

"**Your** dog? Since when do you have a dog?"

"Since I got rid of the people who didn't want me to have one. Read: you and my mother".

"It's not practical to have a pet", he argued.

"It's not practical to have a baby either".

"Okay, okay". He tried one of his best smiles. "I won't put up a fight if you want to keep the dog. I'll make friends with him. What's his name?"

"It's none of your business. You won't be part of his life".

Finn ignored those words and crouched down with an indulgent look, reaching out to pet Fiyero.

"Hey, guardian puppy. You're doing great, but you've picked up the wrong guy. I'm friendly".

Fiyero growled when touched, let go of the pants and sunk down his teeth on Finn's wrist.

"Fuck! He bit me!"

_Great_, Rachel thought, happily. Finn wouldn't talk her into believing or doing anything for him anymore.

But she screamed when she saw him grab Fiyero, shake the puppy, open the house's door, throw him outside and close it back. Rachel jumped at him, punching his chest as he blocked her path to the door.

"How **dare** you to treat an animal like that, you bastard?" She yelled. "Get out of my way! Get out of my **life**!"

"You've misunderstood me, Rachel!" He shot back, grabbing her wrists. "**Calm down**! Everything I want is to have a civilized conversation without a furious dog to distract us, and we will have one!"

"LET GO OF ME!" She yelled, struggling to get rid of him.

He forcefully dragged her back to the couch and threw her on it.

"Sit down and shut up!" He ordered.

Rachel, scared, obeyed, fearing he would be more violent if she tried to escape. She sat down, quiet, glaring at him while he picked up one of the rocking chairs and put it directly in front of her. Fear made her heart speed up, but she refused to display it. She could only think she needed help.

Fiyero was barking furiously outside.

Was Will still working on the garden?

Would he listen to the puppy and come check what was going on?"

But Rachel's mind didn't only conjure Will up. She wanted Jesse to appear. Jesse, her white knight, who had stood between her and the dragons, keeping them away.

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse decided the only way to rid himself of his frustrations concerning Rachel was to do plenty of exercise; he'd try twenty laps on the pool, nonstop. The activity could also help cool down his burning desire.

Rachel wasn't ready for him, and Jesse wasn't used to wait. In normal circumstances, the women with who he went out were anxious to fall in bed with him. With no kind of reserve. But those weren't usual circumstances. There **was** a bond with Rachel. He didn't doubt that. But she clearly had emotional issues that kept her from recognize the sexual attraction between them.

Did that scare her?

Was she thinking it was too soon to feel something for another man?

Jesse didn't care with the scandal that a relationship between them would bring, but maybe Rachel cared, despite all the perks she would have by having an admitted affair with him.

Unfortunately, Jesse suspected she didn't care much for that; she wasn't guided by ambition, and that made her very different from most of the women he had met. He had seen that from the start, and he had liked it. She had been **used**, and she had suffered so much with it that she would never use anyone for her own benefit. He couldn't change what she felt about that, and he didn't want to. He wanted... **her**.

So much.

So early.

He went to the pool. The day was still very warm. Maybe Rachel would feel hot after her nap and would appear for a dive on the pool. He wanted her so much that even a **short** run-in was best than nothing. Jesse had barely stepped on the pool's deck when he heard Fiyero barking with a ferocity too frantic for such a small dog.

Something was wrong. Jesse immediately went to the steps that led to the terrace. Many snakes had appeared during that summer. Will had seen a few on the garden, harmless green-tree snakes, but that didn't mean there weren't more dangerous snakes around. Cocker spaniels were famous for going after another animals. If Fiyero were bitten...

But why wasn't Rachel calling him? She surely hadn't left the dog by himself outside; Fiyero was too little, he was only two months old. But there was no sign of her. It felt like a bad omen. Adrenaline pumped through Jesse when he saw the guest house. Fiyero was scratching the door and barking, desperately. And nothing of Rachel.

Jesse skipped the steps. Fiyero didn't even realize he was coming; the puppy's attention was completely focused on what went on inside the house. Had anything happened to Rachel, had she fainted or fallen and hit her head somewhere?

A sense of urgency made him run to the dor, reaching out immediately for the doorknob, checking if it was locked. It wasn't. He turned it and walked with Fiyero in the living room, the dog jumping at the man who was standing up from one of the rocking chairs. Rachel was curled in a fetal position on a corner of the couch, and her face lit up with relief when she saw Jesse.

The man turned to Fiyero with an angered expression, which became challenging when he saw Jesse.

Finn Hudson.

Finn having been distracted, Rachel rose from the couch, walked around the chair where he had been sitting and clutched at Jesse, who was happy to wrap an arm around her and pull her close, so close he could feel the rapid heaving of her beautiful breasts, the quick beats of her heart. Jesse brushed his face on Rachel's silky, dark hair; it was too tempting to resist. Then, he glared furiously at Finn Hudson, hating him for his old relationship with Rachel, that he never cared enough for her.

"How did **you** get in here?"

Rachel answered quickly.

"He came by boat, Jesse, and threw Fiyero out, and forced me to sit down and listen to him. I tried to make him leave, but..."

"He **forced** you?" Anger exploded within him, the urge to kick Hudson's ass getting close to unbearable.

Fear appeared on the other man's eyes.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. She's being way overdramatic. I just wanted to talk to her, and, as her husband, I have the right!"

"**No one** has the right to violate another person's rights", Jesse shot back, fighting down the violent urge the situation had created within him. Control had always been crucial to reach the life he had; he had control, he kept it, never allowing it to leave him completely. But that special **it** in Rachel affected his judgment, causing strange feelings to surge within him; jealousy, anger, hatred. He took a deep breath and then spoke coldly.

"This is my property. Rachel is **my** guest. She wants you to leave, and I won't make her wish to go unattended".

"She's more than a guest for what I can see", Finn shot back, mocking, watching Jesse's half-nude body.

Jesse suddenly realized what Finn's plan was. He wanted to provoke him into a physical altercation, not caring about how hurt he could walk out of it. He wanted to charge Jesse with aggression, to create more bad publicity over it. No matter how low Finn would go, Jesse wouldn't.

"Leave, Hudson. Leave while you still can do it on your own terms. Don't think you'll stop me from calling the cops and charge you with trespassing. And, if you insist on coming after Rachel, I'll file a restraining order to keep you from getting near her. It won't be my name or hers going through the mud. It'll be yours".

Finn clenched his wrists, glaring at Jesse, hating his power, wanting to hurt him somehow.

"Rachel is **my** wife", he said, as if that justified his behavior.

Rachel stepped up to reply.

"I've told you our marriage is over. I'll **never** go back to you! Never!"

"Because** he** gave your heart other options!" He screamed in response, pointing an accusing finger towards Jesse. "You're an idiot if you believe in him, Rachel! Once he gets what he wants from you, he'll kick you to the curb like he does to all others!"

"I don't care! He gives me what I need and, even if it is for a short time, I'd rather be with him than go back to you!"

Happiness exploded in Jesse's heart. She had just made a choice for herself. He had won. Everything he needed to do was to get rid of her insistent ex-husband.

"Give up, Hudson", he warned, seriously. "You don't have a clean out of this situation. Leave, or I'll call the police".

Fiyero, who had been between Jesse and Rachel, growled his own warning.

Finn turned against him.

"Fucking dog!"

Fiyero charged, showing off his teeth to bite the enemy. Finn kicked him forcefully, sending him to the other side of the room. Rachel let out a scream and rushed to check out on her puppy.

Jesse's control snapped. With Rachel's scream still echoing in his mind, and the fury for the cruelty against the puppy making him see red, he stepped forward and punched Hudson on his jaw. The vision of Hudson fallen to the floor, close to the door, still tainting the children's house, which was supposed to be a safe haven for Rachel, couldn't be tolerated. Jesse grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him outside, dropping him out on the grass before quickly returning to the living room to see how Fiyero was.

"Do I need to call a vet?" He asked Rachel, who had put the puppy on her lap.

"I don't think there's anything broken", she replied, anxious.

"I'll check on him as soon as I drop Finn by his boat".

"No need to be gentle".

A fierce happiness flooded Jesse as he went back outside. Finn had managed to stand on all fours and dizzily shook his head. Maybe it hadn't been smart to punch Hudson, but he couldn't bring himself to regret. Even if in a primeval way, justice had been done, and it certainly hadn't harmed him in Rachel's eyes.

He grabbed Finn again by his collar, pulled him up and began pulling him towards the port.

"Let me go!" Finn yelled as he flailed, trying to recompose himself.

"You were a little too rough on Rachel and her dog. I think you can handle a little force".

"I'll get back at you for this! You broke my jaw!"

"There are no witnesses", Jesse mocked.

"Rachel-"

"-won't testify for you. You kicked her dog".

They reached the staircase that led to the pier, and Finn shook Jesse off.

"Okay! Alright! I'll go. But get your hands off me!"

"As you wish. But if you try anything stupid, I'll shove you down the stairs".

Jesse allowed him to walk down the stairs, alone and uncertain, following so he could be sure Finn would really leave. He had tied the boat to one of the pillars of the pier. Jesse watched as he jumped aboard, turned the engine on and left. Everything was made silently.

He waited until Finn left his eyesight. He didn't think he would come back, but, even so, he made a mental note to increase security on the side of the property that led to the bay. It would be unacceptable, a breach that allowed a new invasion. He had failed with Rachel. If she felt unsafe on the guest house, would she be willing to move into the main house, close to him?

_One step at a time_, Jesse told himself. He needed to go back to her and take every opportunity he had thanks to the positive emotions she had towards him. To take that small hint.

He had walked a good part of the way back when he realized he would break his own rules if he invited Rachel to move in the main house. In all of his relationships, he never shared his house with anyone, always avoiding any sort of claim that could lead to a financial result by the end of the affair. He didn't want a wife, he didn't want a woman to play that role in his life, and he always made that very clear.

But that special quality of Rachel's blurred all the rules that had guided his life up until then. He had lose it. He was supposed to be worried he had lost control, and not savor the satisfaction he felt when he punched Finn Hudson's jaw. Of the short time he spent with his parents, Jesse remembered the chaos, the parties and the uncertainty and the absence of a routine. He had always hated that. He liked order, control and to use a rational approach to everything. He needed to act carefully towards Rachel. To fulfill his desire for her was one thing, to make a serious commitment was another, very different.

But the only future he could think at the moment was the time he would spend with her, and he would enjoy it to the end.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **First, I want to apologize for the delay. My life's crazy right now, I'm studying to the bar exam and I'm so tired by the weekends that I always forget to update. Also... *blushing* This is my first smut scene **ever**. So... I'm just gonna hide here... Yeah...

**the star**

_Nine_

**F**iyero curled up on Rachel's lap and fell asleep. She kept caressing him. Such a brave little dog, and his bark was what had led Jesse to her when she had needed him the most.

Jesse, with his black swimsuit, looking like a Greek god with all his physical strength on display; her savior, once again. She hadn't cared that he was nearly naked. In fact, she had enjoyed his sturdy support he had offered her and had been incredibly happy when he had punched Finn. If they had been living on a primitive society, she certainly would want him as her partner. She would be happy to share her cave with him on every sense of the word.

But their lives weren't that simple. Hers was especially complicated, and she couldn't rely on Jesse for everything. Besides, he was involved with another woman, and Rachel wouldn't forget that. However, she felt increasingly attached to him, and wanted Jesse to desire, despite of anything.

Wasn't that feeling a weakness, a stupidity?

She didn't know, and she didn't have the time to think about it. Jesse returned to the children's house, filling it up with his powerful presence. He was a wonderful, dangerous, merciless, endlessly desirable man, and she wanted to jump into his arms again, to feel his body against hers, feel everything he could offer her.

Had he imagined that devastating desire within her eyes? For a hopeless moment, he stopped, his blue eyes burning into hers, prodding, questioning with an intensity that left her breathless. Then he looked down, at the puppy on her lap, and stepped close, crouching next to Rachel.

"He seems to be breathing normally".

That was something Rachel couldn't say about herself. Her lungs relaxed and she managed to speak.

"He cried for a little while, but I couldn't find anything broken".

"I think Hudson kicked him on the belly, he didn't hit the ribs, but I can call for a vet if you want".

She shook her head.

"I'll wait until he wakes up and sees how he fares".

"Where's his bed?"

"On the corner near the door house. He likes there".

"Don't stand up. I'll pick it up so you can put him on it".

Fiyero barely moved when she placed him on his bed; he just opened his eyes to see if everything was alright and then closed them again. Jesse took the bed back to the corner while Rachel stood up. Suddenly aware of her own naked body under the robe, she adjuested it while Jesse took the chair Finn had used back to its place and looked around the room to see if anything eles had been changed.

"Will you feel nervous here, Rachel?" He asked, worried.

"No. I'm sure Finn won't come back", she made a face. "It was my fault he came in. I forgot to lock the door when I went to bed".

"It wasn't your fault. Hudson didn't have the right to do what he did".

"I know. I just meant I was careless, Jesse. I'm sorry you had to save me once again".

"It wasn't your fault", Jesse repeated, shaking his head while walking towards Rachel. "You were a victim for a very long time. It's time you stop thinking like that and see where you are and why".

His hands closed over her shoulders, his fingers gently massaging her stiff muscles. Jesse's eyes sparkled with a dark fire that seemed to burn Rachel's soul.

"You said you wanted to be with me", he remembered. "Was that because I saved you or..."

Unconsciously, she rose her hands to Jesse's bare chest. It seemed like they had been attracted there, and she didn't want to tear them away from the warmth and the power of that intense masculinity. She wanted to keep touching, feeling, despite she was scared with her own audacity of having that kind of physical contact with him. His eyes also attracted her, demanding a response with a power that was almost hypnotizing. A part of Rachel's mind knew Jesse would never take what she wouldn't offer, but the other wanted him to do it and strip her from all the responsibility.

The weak link.

The person who was the victim.

And with that terrible acknowledgement came the determination of being more driven towards her own desires.

"I don't feel just gratitude what I feel for you", she said. "And I don't want you to feel just protective towards me. I want..."

She couldn't speak; the wild desire made her mind chaotic.

"This, Rachel?" Jesse murmured, his eyes sparkling as he slid one of his hands down her neck and, with his thumb, caressed her chin, his other fingers stroking her face.

Her lips parted. Not to speak, but to take a breath, something she needed desperately.

"This?" He repeated, leaning towards her.

_Yes, yes!_ It was the only thing in Rachel's mind.

Jesse's lips brushed against hers, causing her a tingling feeling that rapidly became a softer, more seductive sensation as he tasted her, gently touching the inside of her mouth, sliding his tongue against her lips; a gentle, hypnotizing kiss that completely captivated Rachel and left her burning for more.

Her hands slid up to Jesse's shoulders, past his neck, her fingers avidly finding his hair, bringing his head even closer to hers, blindly prompting a deeper intimacy that fed from the desire burning in her veins and caused needs that had never been fulfilled before.

Almost instantaneously, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to a full-body contact with him, her perky breasts pressing into the warmth of his wonderfully broad chest, her insides clenching as she felt Jesse's hardness. Rachel's mind was lost in a agitated sea of happiness as she realized her desire was a feeling completely mutual.

The kiss grew deeper, an impetuous exploration of her mouth that prompted her to do the same; their tongues found each other and wrapped together with a passionate intensity that left Rachel completely excited. She wanted more of him. A desperate whine escaped Rachel's lips when Jesse's mouth tore apart from hers so he could take a breath.

"Rachel..." It was a whisper, a groan, a sound that reached her ears, making her tingle with an explosion of feeling.

She buried her face on his neck, brushing her lips against his skin, tasting him, feeling his pulse and instinctively sucking on it, as if she wanted his heart to beat for her. Jesse threw his head back; his hands grabbed Rachel's ass, bringing her even closer and, when she wished there wasn't anything between their bodies keeping them from touching, he took her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

He put her next to the bed, untied the sash of the robe and slid the silk down her shoulders, following the same path with his mouth, kissing and nipping her skin, making her shiver with eagerness for what he would do when she was fully naked. As Jesse's hands slid the sleeves down her arms, his lips traced a burning path towards to Rachel's breasts, his tongue swirling around each pebbled nipple, leaving them even harder and causing a sweet, aching feeling on her insides.

She barely noticed her bathrobe falling to the floor. All her body was focused on what he was making her feel. Then he hugged her, pressing Rachel's wet breasts against his chest, sliding his hand from the small of her back up to her neck, twisting his fingers into her hair. Rachel lifted her face to his and their mouths met with earth-shattering force.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly. The frantic kisses rose an intense frustration that he wasn't naked like she was. Rachel hooked her thumbs on the elastic of his swimsuit trunks and tugged them down. She needed to tear her mouth apart from his to push away the last barrier between them. Crouching down to pull his trunks down his thighs, she noticed the girth of his erection and was fascinated that he was só much larger than Finn. Everything in Jesse was so different, so powerful, so incredibly exciting.

Rachel thought of what Finn had always wanted her to do and approached her face from Jesse's groin.

"No!" Jesse screamed, pulling her up by her arms.

Confused with his reaction, Rachel blinked.

"I'm sorry... I thought you'd like it. Finn..."

"I'm not Finn!" He said, wildly. "I don't want you to be submissive to me, Rachel. I want **you**. I want to taste you, know you entirely, to see your face when we come together".

Her mind exploded with the intensity of his desire. She noticed it on the strength of his kiss, on the way she fired up when he kissed her breasts, her skin tingling with the warmth of Jesse's mouth as it slid to her most intimate place. Never sex had been this way for her: incredible, breathtakingly delicious.

Rachel felt she wouldn't be able to wait that much longer. Her hands grasped Jesse's hair, tugging at it as frantic words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Stop, please... you need... I need you now... **Now**!"

He rose, took her hands from his hair and pinned them down forcefully, one at each side of her head.

"Look at me, Rachel".

"Jesse..."

"Yes". That sounded like a whisper of satisfaction. Then, a new order. "Wrap your legs around me, Rachel. I want you to take me for yourself as much as I take you for me".

She felt her legs weak, wobbly. Jesse let go of one of her hands and helped her, making everything much easier.

Wrapped around him, having him locked between her legs, both deep in a delicious, intimate embrace... Everything was wonderful for Rachel, and she wanted him entirely.

"Don't close your eyes", he said.

She stared at him, wanting him to go on, desperate for him to give himself to her as much as she did to him. Rachel gasped as she felt Jesse's hardness slide softly inside her. But she wanted him even deeper. Her heart was beating so fast.

He gave her what she wanted. Rachel felt like she was going to burst with pleasure. Her eyes blurred, and he went even deeper inside of her, more than she had ever felt before; it felt so good to be completely filled by him, so... She threw her head back, and a scream left her lips when everything inside of her seemed to explode in a river of pure, indescribable pleasure. Her mind went to a deliciously blissful state, and she looked at Jesse, who had made that possible, with her eyes full of happiness.

Jesse smiled at her, with a tender glimmer in his blue eyes, and kissed her. It was a delicious, long kiss that sharpened the feelings assaulting her senses.

"Thank you", she whispered when he pulled back from inside of her.

He shook his head.

"We haven't finished yet".

Jesse moved again in a slow pace, watching the look on Rachel's face. And, to her surprise, the sea of pleasure that involved her continued, not as explosive as before, but in an equally intense sensation. And her heart filled with love for that man, for what he did for her.

She watched his face when his movements became more powerful, the pace quickening. Jesse threw his head back and grunted when ripples of pleasure sent a wave of pleasure throughout his body.

Had they finished, she wondered. Or was this just the beginning of an intimacy that would lead her to places she hadn't ever imagined?

Her mind invoked the image she had of him before: Jesse St. James, the powerful, impetuous, intimidating force of nature that always got what he wanted.

An expert. He had moved her, had shifted all the structure of her world, but, after all, what did he want of her?

At that moment, Rachel couldn't care less.

She loved to be with him like that.

And she would enjoy it as long as it lasted.


	10. Chapter 10

**the star**

_chapter ten_

**J**esse's mind still delighted in Rachel's reaction. He was certain she had never felt anything similar, what left him extremely satisfied. Her awful husband probably had been a selfish lover, and Jesse was happy that experience had been a revelation for her, that **he** had given her what she deserved.

He ran his fingers through Rachel's silky hair, loving the feel of it: it was soft like a baby's. That reminded him that he had been extremely reckless by carrying on without protection. The dog had led him there. Jesse wasn't prepared for sex, but, when he say the lust shining in Rachel's eyes, he couldn't care less about anything else. That cautious hint of sanity had been wrecked by wild thoughts about taking care of her and of a child, marrying her if he needed to. Everything but postponing what he wanted so much.

He should check if there was any risk of a pregnancy. He didn't want that complication that could force them both to ask questions that shouldn't be forced. He didn't know how far he wanted to go with Rachel, but he knew it would be a better ride if they didn't have to take in account the life of an innocent child.

"Rachel...?" His voice sounded rough. He swallowed to clear his throat.

"Hummm?" It was a happy, carefree sound.

Which, Jesse thought, was good.

"I didn't plan on this and I didn't bring protection with me", he said, unable to shut his concerns out of his mind.

"It's okay", she reassured him.

"Are we safe?" He persisted, needing confirmation.

"Hum..." She took a deep breath and explained. "I'm in the middle of my birth control prescription. I thought it would be better if I finished it. Lucky for us", she added, with a carefree shrug.

"Yeah. Lucky for us", Jesse echoed.

Rachel wasn't the only one living through a new experience that day. Jesse's lapse concerning domestic abuse, followed by his reckless leap into an intimate relationship... He had never lost control like that before. The feelings Rachel arose carried on making him act beyond the highly controlled limits he had set for his life. But she had given herself to him, and those freak feelings would most probably end.

Her hand caressed his groin, as if fascinated with his size, and Jesse began feeling excitement stir again.

"You're playing with fire", he warned her.

"Awesome. I want you on fire".

He laughed, surprised by her cheeky comment.

"As if that wasn't possible for you to cause".

Rachel tilted her head and watched him. "I don't think women are a mystery for you, Jesse, but, if you wanted to look at me, why couldn't I want the same?"

It was the first time Jesse had felt compelled to see everything a woman felt with him. Every time he'd had sex with other women, he simply accepted the fact that both had been seeking mutual satisfaction, which inevitably happened. The extraordinary circumstances had made that more important than normal, he told himself. And Rachel's fascinating skill to project so many emotions in her eyes, her beautiful face... how could he not want to see?

"You're a very special woman, Rach. I didn't want to fail you on anything".

She grew serious. "You didn't. All the time, you gave me what I needed, what I wanted. You never failed me. And, on one hand, that's wonderful..." She trailed off, frowning.

"But...?" He pressed.

"It's like I've been passively lying during everything, and I don't want to be passive anymore".

"Believe me, you weren't. I wouldn't have totally lost it if your reaction hadn't been so thrilling".

She looked at him, curiously.

"You don't usually lose it?"

"No".

"Does that mean it was especially good for you?"

"Yeah".

She looked extremely satisfied, her brown eyes sparkling with happiness, a smile so wide her dimples deepened teasingly. Jesse reached out and touched one of them. She smiled at his fascination.

"I'm happy it wasn't bad for you. It would've been awful for me. This way, I don't feel bad at all for all this, but I should".

"Why?" Certainly she didn't feel guilty for being unfaithful in a marriage that was already over and done with.

"In a way, I've acted like Quinn Fabray, even though you're not married to Andrea Cohen". She looked worriedly at him. "Have you forgotten about her, Jesse?"

Obviously, the idea of Jesse being unfaithful like her husband bothered her. **She** wasn't expected to be loyal to anyone, but he... there was an understanding of Andrea's situation clear on her face.

"What I had with Andrea is already over. We're just friends now. You didn't steal anything from her, Rachel. And I haven't cheated on her either".

He watched as she processed the information. The initial relief gave way to an assessment of her own standing with him. Jesse knew she thought about what her mother and Finn had seen in his actions on Rachel's name, how they wondered if he had a hidden agenda.

She rolled around and propped her upper torso up, supporting with on her elbow. Even though her caresses had ended, they still were lying intimately, Jesse told himself. She hadn't left the bed, hadn't covered herself. She didn't want to part that much from him. Even though, he knew the next words they said could have a crucial impact on the way their relationship could go. Jesse didn't try and pull her back to himself, respecting the distance she had put between them. He didn't even move, but he felt adrenaline being pumped in his veins, the thickening tension of the imminent battle.

He wouldn't lose.

* * *

><p><strong>R<strong>achel decided she wanted the truth, whatever that was. Since there hadn't been any gossip about Jesse having broken up with Andrea Cohen, she supposed it had happened recently. But how recently? The breathtaking redhead hadn't accompanied him to the release party. Had that been a hint that the relationship was over before Finn's infidelity with Quinn had been revealed, something that had left her so vulnerable to Jesse's escape route?

Rachel hoped so. She didn't want her mother and Finn to be right about Jesse. He had been so good for her... On the other hand, she wouldn't accept to live with lies. It looked like her entire life had been fake. Above all, she needed truth, and no more deceptions.

There was no guilt in Jesse's eyes. He watched her intensely, his gray-blue eyes sparklingly staring straight at her, waiting for her to say what she was thinking, why she had pulled away. There was also a wait in that passiveness of his, and the thought that he was like a predator stalking, waiting for the best moment to pounce, fled through her mind.

He certainly had chosen the right time on the release party, moving in exactly on the right moment when she was the most vulnerable, putting her under his wing when she was too astonished to notice. But Rachel wasn't astonished anymore and she wouldn't be weak, she wouldn't let him make her jump in a relationship that would distract her from what she needed to do.

Other question rose to her mind. She couldn't imagine any woman dumping Jesse, but that seemed relevant to the main issue. So, she asked, "Was it you that ended the relationship, or was it Andrea?"

"I did".

There was no surprise in that. Rachel couldn't imagine Jesse not being in control of everything. Now, she needed to make the big question.

"When, Jesse?"

"The night you first arrived here. I went out to dinner with Andrea that evening. I couldn't focus on her. I kept coming back to you".

Relief flooded her. It seemed reasonable. But, still, it didn't reply to the charges made by her mother and Finn.

"You mean you wanted me instead of her?"

"Yes".

She took a deep breath and shot, "Everything you did for me was because... you **wanted me**?"

His mouth twisted in a sardonic sneer. "Rachel, I doubt there's any man who doesn't think you're desirable, but if you want to know if what was compelled me to protect that night was lust, then no, it wasn't".

A shameful blush flared up her cheeks. Of course, what a ridiculous idea! He had saved her from a horrible scene only because he didn't want the guests' attention at the party to shift to a scandalous situation that had nothing to do with the show.

"I've told you the truth. To protect the star of my show, to ensure its success, that was my priority. I tried immediately to do damage control. And I have to admit that it pleased me a lot to do that. I've always liked you, Rachel. I didn't like how your mother treated you. I also didn't like how your husband took advantage of you. But that wasn't my business until you allowed me to act in your name to free you from them both. Only then I started thinking you were free to be with me".

Jesse cupped her cheek with one of his hands so she kept on looking at him.

"I wanted this, Rachel. I wanted it right away. And I did everything I could to ensure it would happen. That you would be with me. But it could only happen if you wanted it too. If you **chose** to be with me".

Choices... yes. He had always given Rachel a choice; tempting, seductive, reasonable choices, everything that would attract her. She couldn't say that it had been a trap, since she had stepped into it at her own free will. Even though she had felt her white knight had a dark side, that hadn't stopped her from wanting to be with him.

He hadn't wrecked her marriage. Finn did.

He hadn't taken her, like her mother had said, trying to apply to him her own mentality of using everyone.

Yes, Jesse had dumped Andrea Cohen to be with her, and Rachel was happy he preferred her and was honest about it, ending his relationship before being with her.

He hadn't done anything wrong.

And for her, that was okay.

What else could she want from him?

Her heart settled down.

He smiled, as if he knew the cloud of concerns had vanished from Rachel's mind.

"I think I'm good for you. If I'm not, tell me".

What remained of her tension dissolved in laughter. She was a handsome, inifinitely desirable man, and she was extremely lucky he wanted her. Rachel cradled Jesse's face on her hands and, smiling, pulled it close to her own.

"You're very, very good to me, Jess".

He laughed, pleased with her answer. The kiss began filled with a bubbly happiness, but it suddenly grew passionate. Desire burned in Rachel's body, making her want, again, to be close to him.

"No more passiveness", he mumbled, and moved her so she was straddling him. "Do as you please with me".

And she did, loving the feeling of sinking onto him, of having him filling her body.

The climax was earth-shattering like it had been previously, both crying out together as they tumbled over the edge. Rachel clung to him, delighting on the perfect joy. She didn't care if it wouldn't last forever. It was good. Better than anything she had felt her entire life.

But she needed to protect her heart. She couldn't fall in love. He would leave her and move on, like he did with Andrea Cohen. It was his reputation with women, like Rachel's mother had said. She couldn't expect him to be different with her. She needed to keep her heart out of it.

He frowned.

"What are you thinking?"

"That I'll enjoy everything you're willing to give me of you, as long as you want me by your side, but that I can't get attached, because, sooner or later, this will come to an end".

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse immediately thought, _I might not want this to end_. But he didn't say anything. He had never considered the idea of a long term relationship, and it would be wrong to give Rachel any ideas. He didn't know about the future. He knew that woman was different from everyone else, he knew she made him feel things that he wasn't used to, but that was something new to him. Maybe in a month... maybe in a year... sooner or later, they would fade.

"Everything you want to give me of you", he echoed, his eyes teasing her, "that's too vague, Rachel. Maybe it's best if we have boundaries. You can, of course. You're free to make all the decisions you want. I don't own you. I hope you never allow anyone to possess you again".

It was good advice. A little risky, but a good advice. Jesse wouldn't take it back. He didn't want to be selfish with her.

Rachel deserved to blossom and grow into the person she could be, free of her past's pressures. He would love to see her becoming that person: a survivor, much like him, moving on, finding her own place under the sun, taking the opportunities she wanted to take. The shell of the Rachel raised by her mother would be left behind, and the Maria that existed in her mind would take over.

Maria.

Maria...


	11. Chapter 11

**the star**

_eleven_

**A**nd Rachel set some boundaries. She wouldn't publicly go out with Jesse. First because that would cause rumors to swirl. Second, because the rest of the show's cast would treat her differently. Third, because she didn't want to give Finn any reasons to attack her, and she didn't want to give her mother the satisfaction of being right, even though she wasn't, really.

"Once we're done shooting this season of the show and I'm already done moving in my own house, then we'll go out together, that is, if you still feel like it". She told him.

Jesse agreed.

"I understand independence is important to you, but, meanwhile, can we carry on in private?"

She laughed and hugged him. "I'd be disappointed if we didn't".

"Then I'll try to make our time together to be as fun as possible".

And he did. For Rachel, it was almost like a dreamlike existence, living in the children's house and being with Jesse. There were so many pleasures: making love, watching _House, M.D _together, sailing, dipping in the pool, sharing the delicious meals Emma prepared...

And everyone in the house adored her. She had become part of the family.

It would've been so easy to forget all the rest. Happiness was addictive. But Rachel couldn't ignore the idea that she had to have her own life.

Jesse gave her the name of a good lawyer for her divorce, and Rachel filed the suit.

She bought a car for her, a cute, white Beetle, comfortable and easy to park around town. Having gotten her own transportation and the confidence to deal with her own issues, she let go of Noah Puckerman, thanking the bodyguard for having taken such good care of her and of Fiyero.

"It was my pleasure, Rachel. You have my card. If there's something I can help with, don't hesitate to call", he said honestly.

She needed the car to search for her new home. Her choices were limited because most of the buildings wouldn't accept pets, and Rachel would never split from Fiyero. She didn't want to commit to buying something before her divorce was finalized, but it was very hard to find something to rent.

"I wanted something near a park, where I could take Fiyero", she told Jesse after another day of meaningless search.

"You don't have to rush, Rachel. I'll be perfectly fine if you stay here beyond the two months".

"I don't plan on staying here until it's no longer convenient for you, Jesse".

He frowned.

"I wasn't suggesting you wouldn't be welcome anymore. I like what we have here, Rachel. It can be convenient for me for a very long time".

Her heart nearly stopped. And she liked it. She **loved** it. But deluding herself with dreams with Jesse wouldn't do her any good. A long time could mean only a year or two.

**J**esse saw the desire to be with him turn to uncertainty, and the urge to fight off all of Rachel's doubts became too insistent to ignore. He liked to come home to her, more than he had ever imagined himself liking to come home to someone. He was happy every time he walked through the gates, and not as much for the beautiful view of Sondheim House, but because he would be again with Rachel.

"You're happy here", he argued. "Fiyero is happy here. Will and Emma like to take care of him when you go out. When **we** go out. As we will do as soon as your work on this season's episodes is finished".

They were in the children's house and he held Rachel, purposefully making her remember of the intimacy they shared.

"You **love** this place", he said in a seductive persuasion. "You have your own car, your independence. You can even pay me rent, if that'll make you feel better about living here". He lifted his fingers to Rachel's lips, driving her insane. "I want you to stay, Rachel".

Jesse saw a maelstrom of emotions warring inside her eyes: desire, hope, fear, panic...

She stepped away from him, the words bursting out of her in a desperate explosion.

"I can't, Jesse! I can't! Don't ask me to do that!"

She hid her face in her hands, and her eyes pleaded with Jesse to understand her. But he didn't: he stood there, instinctively knowing that he would have to wait for her explanation, not pressuring anything. He was horrified he had caused her fear. Rachel was too precious for him. To hurt her in any way had never been his intention.

Rachel tried to restrain herself, and Jesse felt more tense than he had ever felt in any business meeting. He had always been prepared, confident that he would walk away a winner, but he didn't have any experience with what happened at that moment with Rachel.

She managed to say, "All of my life..." She trailed off, swallowed and began again, "Most of my life, I did what my mother wanted me to. I learned... she made me learn... it was easier to obey, not to resist, just accept what she decided".

Jesse saw the memories of punishment flash in her eyes, and he clenched his jaw in a flood of hatred for Shelby Corcoran. He had been a victim of negligence, of indifference, of his parents' sudden urges to spend all their money and leave him with his nannies throughout his childhood, but he had never been forced to do what they wanted him to.

"Then, when I married Finn and realized I was nothing more than a property to him... something he could use to reach what he wanted... I took the easy way again. I allowed him to do as such, because at least it was more pleasant than it was with my mother. He pretended to love me, and it was easier to live with that".

The conman sweet-talking his target, Jesse thought furiously. But his conscience began to whisper he was doing the same thing.

"And it would also be easy to live here with you, Jesse", Rachel carried on, seeing through the strategy he had used to keep her with him. "But, if I did that, I would once again be going through the same motions I have to avoid, giving you control over my life, instead of taking care of it myself".

"**No**!" He refuted vehemently. "I would never control your life, Rachel! You **know** you would be free to choose with me!"

Hurt eyes looked back at him.

"I can't choose when you'll find someone else who will catch your eye, Jesse. In the end of the day, Andrea Cohen didn't have any choice, did she?"

_But it's different with you!_

The words were begging to be said, and he could barely keep them from leaving his lips. As real as they were, they didn't guarantee to her the kind of commitment that would keep them forever together. They were still on the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Jesse knew he needed a much longer time to test his feelings for her. To rush a drastic statement wouldn't do any of them any good.

"I need my own place, Jesse", she said, forcefully, her eyes pleading with him to accept. "Never again I want to feel like I don't have anywhere to go if... other things... start falling apart". Her lips quivered and twisted in a small smile. "It might not be as convenient for you... for both of us..."

"That doesn't matter. Your well-being does. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking... I just wanted to hold on to what we have". He shook his head in a silent apology as he approached her to offer her comfort, his hands coming to rest gently on her shoulders. "When my parents died, I didn't have anyone else. If it weren't for their lawyers filing a suit to have me emancipated, I would have to go to foster care, and I know I would hate that. I love having my own place. Do you want me to help you find one, Rachel?"

Relief and joy shone inside Rachel's eyes when she wrapped her arms around Jesse's waist, hugging him tightly. "No. You've already helped me a lot, Jesse. I can't even say how thankful I am for everything you've done for me. Even when we're no longer together, I'll consider you the best friend I've ever had".

"Hummm... I'm not ready to call this quits yet. Are you?"

"No". She looked teasingly at Jesse as she caressed his neck. He laughed and kissed her. Fiyero barked at the enthusiastic gesture, and Jesse smiled at the dog.

"You've had her for yourself a long time now, buddy. It's my turn now".

Rachel laughed as he led her to the bedroom and closed the door. She gave herself to him with a reckless pleasure, and Jesse celebrated the certainty that she would still be his, even if she moved to somewhere else.

**L**ying together, he felt a deep tenderness for her, pulling her closer to his body and stroking her hair.

"You're safe with me, Rachel. I won't exploit you in any way".

"I know that, Jesse. You don't need to. You have your own life".

And that was something she didn't have so far. He understood the need Rachel had of taking charge, because of her past. But the simple truth of what she said made him think of what he had created for himself, taking care of his own life.

Despite being under the care of nannies and maids, he spent most of his childhood alone. His parents weren't completely irresponsible, but they were close to that. They had money and they spent it generously, be it traveling or partying. When they were home, they spent their mornings working (his father) and sleeping or beautifying themselves (his mother). They didn't care how things were going with him, as long as he had good grades. Jesse went to school because it was better than staying at home with parents who didn't have time for him.

It had been a lonely life, not easy at all, until his parents died, he was emancipated and took control of the fortune they left for him. When they were alive, he hated that they acted like proud, loving parents when he was praised by everyone they knew and wanted to impress. They acted like they were a part of his life, being there for him at his high school show choir's competitions, cheering him on and supporting him. When friends of his parents praised them for having such a smart, handsome, talented son, they would smile and agree, saying how proud they were of him and how much they loved him.

But what they called love wasn't it, not really. It was unstable, mercenary. Jesse always thought he would be better without them in his life.

And he had truly done much better, taking care of his own life, not allowing anyone to take credit of his conquests and the goals he had reached himself.

But would he still be happy living like that, after having spent such wonderful moments with Rachel, sharing with her more than he had shared with anyone else, liking everything about her? He hadn't ever cared about being alone. It had been an advantage not having to think about other people when he decided what to do. He had deliberately avoided any emotional ties that could restrain him. But he knew he would miss Rachel's company when he arrived home, once she left.

He couldn't keep that dream to reach its end. However, he didn't need to accept an unbridgeable distance between them. The need to estabilish a definite future with her was a priority. There was so many things he wanted to share with her, to show her.

"Once you move out, Rachel, it'll be impossible to keep our relationship a secret", he said casually. "Someone is bound to pick up that I'm always going to visit you. You **will** want me to visit, won't you?"

"Yes, of course", she said without hesitation.

"Then I don't see any reason for us not to appear together in public. By then, your work at the show will be already over and done. When we start working at the next season, cast and crew will already be used to us being together. It'll be something of a routine for them. It won't cause you any discomfort, right?"

She didn't answer.

Jesse felt tension coil within him again as he waited. He couldn't force her into agreeing. She needed to want it. He couldn't see her face, didn't know what was going through her mind. Her marriage was over. She couldn't care about what her mother and Finn would think. She had her own life, and she would do with it as she pleased. Certainly she would choose to spend as much time as possible with Jesse. He would never accept being her secret lover! It would be too restrictive!

* * *

><p><strong>R<strong>achel's mind was chaotic. It was a tempting idea, to be publicly linked to a man that powerful, to be labeled as his new mistress, which would undoubtedly cause rumors to rise about how long they had been together, given Jesse's rep. However, despite how long it had been since she and Finn separated, that relationship could be seen as a scandal. The press wouldn't leave them alone.

She didn't like to have to face that, she wanted them to be lovers in private. Those two months had been heavenly, so easy...

**Easy**.

The word teased her, instantly accusing her of going back to her old ways of thinking. She had just set her foot down with Jesse about not taking the easy way which was moving in there with him. Not only that, but, when their liason first started, she had insisted they wouldn't go out together until that season of the show was done, and she had a place to live. And Jesse had just reminded her that time was nearly over. To go back on her word, to deny Jesse what he wanted so badly when he had done so much for her, was out of question. Besides. Rachel knew she would miss his companionship, in every sense.

So what that it wasn't easy to go out in public?

She would have Jesse with her.

That was more important than anything else.

She looked up and smiled at him.

"I would love to go out with you, Jess". She said, secretly wanting way more than she could ever ask or expect for, to have that wonderful man for herself for all of her life.

"Great!" A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Rachel forced herself to also be satisfied. The experience with Jesse had already changed everything for the best. She would always be thankful that he had walked into her life... even after he left her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** We're three chapters (and an epilogue) away of the end, my dears. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it.

**the star**

_twelve._

**O**n Saturday, a week before the end of the shooting, Rachel finally found a place that pleased her: a small townhouse. She didn't care that it was an old house, needing work on the kitchen and the bathroom. It was practical: two bedrooms on the second floor, plenty of space on the first, a small fenced backyard that Fiyero wouldn't need to stay inside all the time. There was a park across the street.

She felt her heart clenching when she left the children's house, saying farewell to WES, who had helped her so much. Rachel was happy she had Fiyero's company to keep her loneliness away, even though she was incredibly busy during the first week, putting everything in order on her new home.

Jesse came over almost every morning to see how she was, bringing flowers and something prepared by Emma. They would invariably end up together on her bed, which Rachel loved. All it took was one glance from Jesse and her entire body would shiver in anticipation.

They began going out together. They would go to parties, charity events, the theatre. They would cross the red carpet on the premiere of a few movies. They were the talk around town: the TV baron and the star of his show. Jesse dealt very easily with everything, and Rachel loved being close to him and didn't care with what everyone eles was thinking.

However, she tried to avoid going back to Sondheim House, for she knew that would affect her heart and would make her wish that was her home. It had been difficult enough to leave. She didn't want to feel that pain again.

Jesse was increasingly frustrated as she refused his invitations.

"You liked Sondheim House. You liked WES. They adored you. They miss you, Rachel".

He never said he missed her. Jesse didn't like opening up about his weaknesses, and she needed to learn to be the same way.

"It's **your** house, Jesse. I don't belong there", she would answer calmly.

He would frown. "You don't need to belong there. What the problem with a visit?"

"I can't go back there. I have to travel my own path. You see me every time you want, don't you? We hang out a lot together. Doesn't that satisfy your need of me in our relationship?"

He would stare at her for a long moment. "It's your call", he would eventually say, scowling.

The period of freedom before the beginning of the second season's shooting was close to ending when Rachel received an unexpected guest at her house. Fiyero burst out of the bedroom towards the door, barking at the sound of the doorbell.

When she looked out through the peephole, her heart nearly stopped.

Quinn Fabray was on her doorstep. She looked at something by the right of her house, her burgeoning stomach clearly visible. Her long blonde hair covered most of her face. As Rachel still struggled to take in the shock she felt at receiving that visit, Quinn turned, reaching out her hand to press the doorbell again. Her eyes were swimming with tears.

Rachel stepped away of the peephole, as confused as she was shocked. Why would Quinn Fabray appear, in tears, at her house? She certainly didn't think she would get her job back after everything that had happened, did she? But then again, what did she want showing up at her house? Forgiveness?

_Never_, Rachel thought as the doorbell kept ringing, signaling Quinn wouldn't give up. Even though part of her despised the idea of facing that woman again, other part of her insisted Rachel should put a definite end to that, taking charge of the situation. She wasn't the old Rachel anymore; she had learned from Jesse how to deal with several things.

Fiyero wouldn't stop barking. She crouched down and picked him up to calm him down. Immediately after, she opened the door, planning to tell Quinn she wasn't welcome.

"Thank God you're here!" Quinn screamed in a pathetic relief, shaking her hands up in the air. "Please, Rachel, I need to talk to you. I don't have anyone eles. Finn..." She started to sob, covering her face with her hands and shaking her head, deeply anguished.

Rachel didn't want to feel affected by the woman's pain. What happened between Quinn and Finn was their own issue, and she didn't want to get in the middle of that. But it would be too cruel to send her away like that.

"You better come in", she said, reluctantly.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!"

With Fiyero still in her arms, Rachel picked up a box of tissues for Quinn.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" She asked, knowing it was Quinn's favorite beverage.

She nodded as she wiped her face with a tissue.

"I'll let my dog go. He'll smell your feet. I advise you not to kick him", Rachel warned her.

"I'd never do that", Quinn replied.

Rachel let Fiyero go, and he immediately did as she said he would. Allowing the small Cocker Spaniel standing guard, she went to the kitchen, made tea for Quinn and coffee for herself and went back with both to the dinner table. She sat down on the end across to her former assistant, waiting for her to recompose herself and start speaking.

Quinn finally lifted up her anguished face and said in a hopeless tone, "Finn left me. Even thought I'm pregnant with his baby, he doesn't want to give me any help".

Rachel was shocked when she heard that. Despite all the lies, the infidelity and the terrible explosion of violence towards Fiyero, she hadn't thought he was capable of doing that.

"I can't find another job. No one wants a pregnant assistant. I need help, Rachel. I won't be able to have a baby without help".

Several single mothers were forced to be, Rachel thought, and Quinn wasn't a helpless person. Maybe depression wouldn't allow her to see a solution.

"Do you want me to talk to Finn about that?" She asked, thinking about how shameless Quinn would be if she expected that of her.

She shook her head. "It won't work. He's furious I told you. He doesn't want anything to do with me. Or with the baby". Tears pooled in her eyes again. "I'm sorry I told you like that, Rachel, but I was so upset, so in love with him, I lost my mind. He was the father of my baby, and all I could think about was how he had to get a divorce from you and marry me".

Despite the offense, Rachel couldn't help but feel a little pity. The baby changed everything. Even though, for starters, Quinn wasn't supposed to have an affair with Finn.

And Quinn herself knew that, since she immediately tried to justify her actions, leaning forward in an appeal for Rachel's comprehension. "I tried not to fall for him. He was your husband, and he was out of my reach. I really fought against the attraction I felt, Rachel, but he noticed it and took advantage of it. I liked to work for you. I didn't want to give up my job, but I was terribly attracted to Finn and, one night, when I had too much to drink, he seduced me and took me to bed. I'm a victim of his, much like you. I thought he really loved me and his marriage to you was just a con to jumpstart his career. I'm sorry you were hurt, but at least now you have Jesse St. James. You've improved a lot".

"Yes, but the divorce saddened everyone, and the fact that I have Jesse as a friend doesn't make things better", she corrected.

"More than a friend, I'm sure", Quinn shot back with a glimmer of envy in her eyes.

_Better than Finn_.

Quinn didn't say that, but Rachel knew it was what she thought and went straight to the point. "Why are you here, Quinn?"

She shook her head, desperate, and shot her hands up in the air. "I'm unemployed. I thought Finn would help, but no. And I can't afford the rent for my apartment. I have close to nothing, Rachel". Her eyes pleaded for help. "I don't have anyone. We were friends. If I hadn't spent so much time near Finn because of my job..."

Anger spiked up. "Are you saying your pregnancy is my fault?"

"No, no, no! But he tricked both of us. I thought you'd understand and forgive me, and for the sake of the baby... please, Rachel... if you could lend me some money for me to hold everything up for a while... Give straight to me what you would give to Finn. He'd have to give me anyway. You can tell your lawyer and he would deduce it out of your divorce settlement".

_The meat ticket_... Rachel couldn't let go of that expression. She didn't want to get in the middle of this. But there was an innocent baby there, and she was horrified with Finn's attitude.

"How much do you have in mind?" She asked, being careful not to commit to anything.

Triumph... greed... something that didn't match Quinn's supposed despair shone in her eyes, but it was soon swallowed by a new torrent of tears. "I hate to ask this to you... Maybe a definite sum was better. I could leave and raise my baby somewhere else, in a simpler way".

"How much, Quinn?" Rachel pressed, hating that scene.

Quinn entwined her fingers nervously, seemed distracted and then, hesitantly, answered, "If you could give me a check for fifty grand".

Fifty thousand dollars!

Quinn's boldness left Rachel astonished for a moment. Had she been that innocent in the past? Had some emotional blackmail been enough for her to give in? As if she couldn't think for herself? Was that Quinn was relying on?

However, there was the baby...

"I won't give you that much, Quinn". She said, firmly. "But I'll talk to my lawyers about your situation and ask him to talk with Finn's lawyer".

"But that can take weeks, maybe even months! My bank account is negative already!" Quinn whined.

"I assure you something will be done in order to convince Finn to take responsibility in a matter of days", Rachel said firmly, and rose from the table to end that conversation.

"He won't... he won't!" The blonde cried, remaining seated and burying her face in her hands.

Rachel was firm when she spoke. "I promise you I'll do something to get you child support. There's nothing eles to be said, Quinn".

"Oh, please, Rachel!" She rose from the chair, wobbling a little, looking in complete despair. "Don't send me away without anything! I don't know what I'll do!"

Was she threatening to kill herself?

"If you could at least me give me a check for five grand..." Quinn pleaded.

Rachel didn't like that, but she was already sufficiently upset to find her purse and take five hundred dollars from her money. She handed them over to Quinn. "That's all I have here with me. It must be enough until you manage to get more money".

Quinn took the money, still pressing for more. "I could cash in a check..."

"No. I said I would help you and I'll keep my word. That's it, Quinn. I want you to leave now".

Rachel went to the door to open it. Fiyero was barking to Quinn until she followed the same path. And she did, crying so loudly that Rachel felt it was a purposeful way to sway her determination. But it could also not be. She hated that. Her feelings were being torn apart, making it difficult for her to cling to her sense of integrity.

Quinn stopped by the door to start pleading again.

"No, stop, Quinn!" Rachel yelled, completely impatient. "Don't come back here. I won't be persuaded to do anything else for you".

Surprisingly, Quinn's face softened. Her eyes shone, furious, and she shot with no hint of hesitation in her voice, "What are a few thousands for you, when you have Jesse St. James' billions? Close to nothing!" The angry tone became flattering. "It's very evil of you, Rachel, to send me away with this nothing, without caring about the baby..."

Fiyero growled and jumped at Quinn's legs, making her back away from the entrance. Rachel immediately closed and locked the door, with a thankful sigh of relief. She leaned and picked up her small Cocker Spaniel in her arms.

"Good doggy, saving me again", she whispered, lovingly stroking him as she went towards the backyard, wanting to put as much distance as possible between herself and Quinn Fabray.

Even though it wasn't her business, she would call the lawyer and set up a meeting with Finn. One way or another, he would have to give the baby the appropriate help.

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse parked his Range Rover in front of Rachel's house and wished once again that she was still living with him on Sondheim House. He liked having her around, coming back home to her and find her. He knew her independence was important to Rachel, he knew he was supposed to be satisfied with what they had, but he wasn't.

His dissatisfaction increased when Rachel told him about Quinn Fabray's visit. He knew it wouldn't help anything to tell Rachel she shouldn't have given Quinn any money, but the baby was the biggest issue for Rachel. And Jesse knew it would always be; maybe something that would eventually tear them apart, if he didn't rethink his whole lifestyle.

"Anyway, I told my lawyer to act urgently and set up a meeting with Finn tomorrow", she wrapped the story up with a disgusted face. "It'll be horrible, but I can't just let it go, Jesse".

"No", he agreed. "It'll keep eating away at your head until it's solved. But don't think Quinn told you the truth, Rachel. Something doesn't smell good in this history".

Rachel laughed. "Fiyero didn't like the smell either".

Jesse grinned. "I've made a right call by giving him to you".

"Sure!" She hugged him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "You always make the right calls, Jesse".

"Do you want me to tag along tomorrow? Help sort things out with Finn?"

"No. I need to do that by myself. I can't wait for you to protect me forever".

His urge to do exactly that was great, and Jesse found it difficult to handle it. Maybe it was because of his intense hatred for her lousy former husband. He didn't want Rachel to meet that scumbag. But her run in with Quinn Fabray proved definitely that she wouldn't be persuaded into doing what she didn't think was right anymore.

"Besides, I'll be perfectly safe at my lawyer's office".

"True. Still, I'm worried with the moment you leave. Finn could be angry..." There was no mental strength that could fight off physical force. Rachel **needed** him to protect her.

"I know. I'll call Noah in and ask him to take me to the lawyer's office and then drive me back".

An independent solution.

Little by little, she was breaking free of him.

Soon she wouldn't need Jesse anymore, even though her desire for him was still strong. And he made sure it stayed that way, letting out all his sexual prowess when they made love that night. When they were done, she curled next to him and mumbled with a satisfied sigh, "You know, Jesse, I'm not with you because of your money. You don't think that, do you?"

"No. Not of you. Never, Rachel".

Jesse knew he couldn't buy her.

He also didn't want to.

She was busy with her own choices, now, wanting to take care of her own life.

To keep her, he would have to become **her** choice.

The issue was that he wanted Rachel to share everything with him, the same way he wanted to share everything with her. To take care of his life on the future seemed something too empty without her by his side. Even Sondheim House seemed empty without her to welcome him when he got home.

Jesse had never thought his life was dark. But Rachel had lit it up with her adorable personality, brilliant and innocent, and everything he valued in the past, the shine of his goals, lost their attraction when compared with what she made him feel.

The truth was that he didn't have everything he wanted.

Rachel was slipping through his fingers, and he wanted more of her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** We're getting close to the end (*_wipes eyes discretely_*). I hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.

**the star**

_thirteen_

**D**espite her determination to set things right, Rachel was extremely nervous about her meeting with Finn. He certainly would be furious and, despite the presence of both of their lawyers, the idea of having to face her soon-to-be ex-husband wasn't a pleasant one.

"I can feel how tense you are, Rachel", Noah Puckerman commented as they parked the car. "Do you want to tell me what the issue is, so that I know what to expect?"

He was a good man, Rachel had always felt comfortable with him. It was easy to share with him what had happened.

"Can I give you some advice?" He asked once she had finished her tale.

"Please".

"Ms. Fabray did everything she could to rip some of your money. She rubs me as a very experienced conwoman, and I know that kind of people quite well. Don't be surprised if she has already sucked everything she could out of Mr. Hudson".

"Do you mean she lied when she said Finn wouldn't give her anything?"

"I'm only saying it's possible. I'd bet she only was trying the cream of the crop". He smiled. "I'm glad you haven't fallen for her trap".

Rachel scowled. "I gave her five hundred dollars".

"It wasn't such a big loss. And it made you feel better, which already justifies it. I think you won't manage to get it back from Mr. Hudson. Actually, I think you should listen closely to his side of the story before you accuse him of anything. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Noah. I really appreciate the advice".

He smiled and nodded. "I'm glad I could help".

"And I'm glad I've called you. I feel... readier now".

"I'll be around if anything happens", he assured her.

"Thank you", she said with a sigh of relief.

Noah turned off the ignition and escorted her to the waiting room of the lawyer's office. Finn and his lawyer were already there, dressed in dark gray suits. Rachel also wore a light pink linen suit and, after the formal introductions, Finn praised it, smiling like he was happy to be near her again.

"You look beautiful, Rachel", he said, confusing her with his charming ways.

She looked at the lawyers. "Can we go straight to business, please?"

They sat by the long conference table, the pairs in different sides of the table. Finn leaned forward, hands reaching out in an appeal as he sincerely said, "Quinn lied to you, Rachel. She lied to me. She isn't pregnant. She never was".

She was expecting lies, but not that one. It stunned her. "But... But I **saw** her! I saw her protruding stomach, she looked early in her second trimester!"

"It was fake, I assure you", Finn stated. "When the other man she had tricked contacted me, I insisted with Quinn to go with her to a doctor appointment, to confirm the pregnancy. She didn't want to, said I didn't trust her, tried every way she could to make me not demand proof of her condition. She has done it before. Blackmail and fraud".

Rachel looked at him, almost unable to absorb what she was hearing. In her mind, she saw Quinn standing by her door, her pregnancy evident. Was Finn making up some story for his own benefit?

"What other man?"

"He read on the paper about the end of our marriage. The role Quinn played on it. He thought for a while and decided to contact me, said he didn't want another sucker to suffer like he had, he didn't want her to get away with it again". He nodded at his lawyer. "Show her his pledged-by-oath statement".

The lawyer handed her some documents. The first one was a pledged-by-oath statement written by the hand of one Arthur Abrams. Rachel hadn't heard of him before, and she guessed Finn hadn't either, since he lived in Canada. Even so, it was perfectly possible that papers there had written about the scandal.

She began reading.

According to Arthur Abrams, Quinn Fabray had been his assistant four years before. She had seduced him so that he had sexual intercourse with her, even though he loved his wife, Brittany, and had no intention to end their marriage, something he had made clear to Quinn, who, apparently, had accepted the situation. Until she said she was pregnant and pressured him into leaving Brittany. He had refused, ended their affair and offered to pay only child support. Quinn contacted Brittany and begged her to leave him, so that they could get married. Devastated, Brittany divorced Arthur, who wanted nothing to do with Quinn anymore and paid a generous settlement to kick her out of his life. A year later, he decided he wanted to see the child. He hired a private investigator to track Quinn down and found out there wasn't any child or any medical records of her pregnancy or the birth of the child.

There were copies of his PI's reports among the papers. When questioned, Quinn declared his money had been a parting gift, and there wasn't any evidence of the contrary. It was his word against hers. Brittany didn't want to testify in his favor because of his infidelity, and there wasn't how to legally retrieve his money.

It was a terrible tale, and Rachel shivered as she remembered how Quinn had come to her, the **wife**, forcing the end of her marriage and taking advantage of her compassion, making herself a victim of Finn's.

"Quinn didn't convince you, did she?" Finn asked anxiously. "You didn't give her the money?"

She slowly looked up from her papers to look straight at him. "No. I thought you should do it. That's why we're here".

His face relaxed in relief. "She didn't cause us that trouble, at least".

It looked like he was dropping all the blame off himself, and Rachel wouldn't accept that. "**You** have put us in this situation, Finn. You gave her the opportunity to play this little game".

"Do you think I haven't cursed myself millions of times for having fallen on her trap? It was everything she wanted! She began to come onto me from the first day she started working with you! Looks, sexual innuendos, the occasional grind; all kinds of teasing! I spent months not giving a crap about that. I didn't want her. I had you, Rachel. As she did all that, I kept telling myself I had to stop her, but the one I had too much to drink at a party and..." he ran his fingers through his hair in anguish. "She's a predator, Rachel. I was leaving the restroom and she shoved me back, took off my pants and-"

"Spare me the details!" Rachel yelled.

"I'm sorry... I'm just trying to explain how it happened, how I never wanted it to happen. I love you".

He was twisting everything again, and Rachel was furious. It didn't matter if Quinn had or hadn't seduced him. It hadn't only been once in a restroom. "Do **not** tell me it was a one-time thing, Finn. I know it wasn't!"

"What has Quinn told you?"

Rachel ignored every other lie he could come up with. "My **mother** did. She called it a **relationship**, Finn. It was **not** only once".

"Alright", he caved. "Quinn knew how to tease me and she always won. Any man would have taken what she was offering! I'm human, Rachel. But I felt incredibly guilty and put an end to that because our marriage was more important to me and I didn't want her to ruin it".

Rachel wondered if Jesse would have done the same, taking what Quinn had offered. Obviously Finn considered her more arousing that what he had at more. Did all men value sex more than love? Maybe Jesse hadn't ever been married because sex with only one woman lost its appeal after a while, and he preferred to be free to seek something new when he felt like it.

Something new... like her.

A wave of depression crashed over Rachel. She didn't want to hear anything else. It made no sense to fight for child support for Quinn Fabray's baby. The main issue for this meeting had been closed, for it didn't exist. She looked sadly at the man she had married, blindly believing in love, and said what she believed what was true. "What you didn't want was to lose your meat ticket, Finn".

His face grew red with anger. "It was Quinn who said that. She was decided to break you and me apart, Rachel, but she's out of our lives now. There isn't any baby to tie her to me. All that is behind us. Give us another chance".

She shook her head, pushed her chair back and stood up, turning to their lawyers. "Thank you for clearing the situation concerning Quinn Fabray".

The three men stood up, and Finn rushed to speak. "Please, think about it, Rachel. We had a good marriage before all this. I know you wanted a baby and I haven't followed your wishes. But if you give me another chance, I promise-"

Rachel didn't have any doubt he would fulfill his vow. A baby would be the best way to keep their marriage together. But she remembered perfectly how he had treated Fiyero, a baby dog, and she couldn't see Finn as father material. Or as husband material. He had never been either of these things.

"This meeting is **over**", she said coldly. "Our relationship wasn't in discussion, Finn".

"But now you certainly realize I was a victim of Quinn's, like Arthur Abrams. You're letting her win, Rachel".

"No. She didn't win anything with this". Anything but five hundred dollars, which was nothing compared with what she aspired to.

"She managed to break us up!" Finn argued.

Strangely, when it came to that Rachel considered Quinn had done her a favor, putting an end to several bad things in her life.

"Move on, Finn. I finally have", she said firmly.

"I can forgive your situation with Jesse St. James. He took advantage of the circumstances".

She shook her head. "I'm leaving". She looked at her lawyer. "I'd appreciate if you and your client stayed in this office until I'm gone".

The lawyer nodded. "I understand, Ms. Berry".

"Rachel..." Finn insisted, imploringly. She turned her back to him and walked towards the door with her lawyer. "Jesse St. James won't marry you", Finn said. " He won't give you children. You'll end up being just another notch on his bedpost".

She knew Jesse would move on, like he always did, and she was aware that would hurt her greatly. But he had been there for her during the hours she had needed someone the most, helping her become someone capable of making her own choices. The good he had done her would outweigh any pain she would invariably feel.

"I can give you a better life than Jesse St. James ever will", Finn said in one last plea. "I swear you're the only one for me. I'll never look at anyone ever again. And we'll be a family. As many children as your heart desires. What we had was good before Quinn ruined everything. Think about it, Rachel. Call me!"

The door closed behind her. Rachel could leave already. And so she did.

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse looked at his watch again, frowning as he realized how long it had been since Rachel's meeting, at eleven, with the lawyers and Finn Hudson.

"Why are you so nervous, Jesse?" Matt Rutherford asked. "It's the third time you've checked your watch and scowled".

Jesse scowled as he glared at the head of his legal department, a man too clever to allow that to slip unnoticed. "I'm waiting for a call from Rachel. There are some bad things happening with Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray".

"Ah. The pregnant assistant stirring more shit? Anything I can help with?"

"No. The divorce attorneys are handling it, Matt. What worries me is that this meeting wasn't supposed to last this much. I wish I had accompanied Rachel".

"It was best that you didn't, Jesse".

"I know. But I don't trust her husband. Anyway, Rachel had the idea to call a bodyguard to escort her there and back".

"Puck?"

"The one and only".

"He's one of the best. Why don't you give him a call and see what's happening? I have his number".

"This time I'm not his client", Jesse said. "And Rachel promised to call me".

"But it's for his client's sake", Matt argued. "I'm sure Puck will be pleased".

Jesse didn't like that, he thought it was acting behind Rachel's back, but he was too worried not to call. The feeling that Rachel was breaking free of him was increasingly stronger. She was supposed to have called already. Unless something had gone wrong.

He needed to know.

He made the call.

Ten minutes later, he had already been reassured that Rachel was already safely at home since noon. He had also been told about the fraudulent pregnancy. But what disturbed him the most was what Noah Puckerman said he had heard Finn Hudson say as Rachel left the office. The blows against any hope she harbored of having a lasting relationship with him, what her husband was offering. And his final plea.

_Call me_.

Rachel hadn't followed through on their deal and hadn't called him, the man whose lifestyle suggested she was just another conquest in his life.

Was she considering the promises her husband had made? Finn Hudson had perfectly played the role of victim, begging for her forgiveness and a new chance: he'd end his relationship with Quinn, Rachel would end her relationship with Jesse, a new beginning, a family...

"Jesse, you're tearing up a hole on my carpet".

The quip made him realize he was pacing from side to side in Matt's office, like a frustrated tiger.

He stopped in front of Matt's desk, who leaned back and rose his hands, like had was afraid he would be shot. "Hey, I'm not your target. I'm the messenger, remember? Just tell me what I have to do".

"She's** mine**!" The words left him in an emotional explosion. Jesse cut through the air, hand holding out like he held a sword. "I don't want that lowlife crawling back into her life!"

Matt shrugged and looked speculatively at Jesse, like his behavior was particularly strange. "Why would she take him back?"

Jesse growled as he answered, "Because he proved her assistant's pregnancy was fake. Because Finn Hudson knows how to use it in his favor, next to all his promises of love and family..." He held up his hands. "The pregnancy was the straw that broke the camel's back because Rachel wanted a baby!"

"Then give her one, Jesse".

As if it was the simplest thing in the world!

Matt carried on, "If Rachel wants children and you're not ready for that, sooner or later you'll lose her. It's the clock ticking. Since you want to be with her, there's just one road to take that can assure your **victory**, Jesse. Otherwise, you better resign with the fact that you'll have to give her up".

He couldn't handle the idea of giving her up. It would be completely unbearable for her to leave him and share her life with someone else.

"You've never had any struggle to attract beautiful women. I think Rachel Berry has something very special, but... It's your life, Jesse. Your choice too".

Matt was rught.

Only one sure way to **win**.

There was only one doubt: would Rachel want to join him in the longest road two people could take together?


	14. Chapter 14

**the star**

_fourteen_

**R**achel was sitting on the bench at her backyard garden, feeding Fiyero small pieces of ham. It felt good to be outside, to have the carefree company of her puppy. She hadn't felt the urge to eat yet. The meeting with Finn had stolen her hunger away. And she didn't want to discuss that either.

Her cell phone was sitting neatly next to her, next to a cup of coffee. Jesse would be expecting her call. She had promised to inform him how her meeting had turned out. But it was so awful she didn't want to remember.

Especially the part about the sex in the restroom. Had Jesse ever had any

experience remotely similar while still in one of his past relationships? Had he turned down the attempt or had he let it happen, enjoying the adrenaline of an unplanned pleasure? How important had a woman been to him, beyond the sexual satisfaction he took and gave?

She barely heard the doorbell ring, but Fiyero went in running to bark to the guest. Rachel didn't move, reluctant to see or talk to anyone. The doorbell rang a few other times. Fiyero was still barking. Rachel thought that both Noah Puckerman and Jesse had her cell phone number. They could call to see if she was home. And no one else had the right to bother her.

Whoever it was at the door ended up leaving. Fiyero came back with a look of triumph for having chased away what was obviously an unwanted visit. He trotted up to her to be petted; Rachel smiled and crouched down to pick him up and cuddle with him, and he curled in her arms. "I'm happy I have you, Fiyero" she mumbled; he was the something real Jesse had given to her to replace a baby.

An adorable gift.

But, even so, a replacement for what Jesse wasn't planning on giving her.

She already understood why he had commented about her young age: being only 27, she had no reason to despair about being too old. He, obviously, didn't want to feel guilty for not fulfilling her maternal needs. To be a parent wasn't on Jesse's plans. That urge was something temporary, in his opinion, and shouldn't be tied to a lifelong commitment. He had taken the safe route, but it was also selfish. And that was fair, Rachel told herself. If she wanted much more from Jesse, it wasn't his fault.

Fiyero looked up, raised his head, his ears perking up, a low growl leaving his throat as he looked at the back fence, which separated her house from a narrow alley between her house and the neighbor's. The gate that gave access to the alley began creaking. Fiyero jumped off her arms and ran through the backyard, barking madly.

The gate was locked so that no one could easily enter, but a thief could climb up the tall fence. Since no one had answered to the doorbell, they could have noticed there was no one in the house. And to break in through the backyard was safer than the front door.

She picked up her phone and ran after Fiyero towards the fence. "I'm calling the cops if you don't stop messing with my gate!" She yelled. "Go away!"

"**Rachel**!" It was a relieved scream. "It's me... Mama! I was worried with you! Let me in, for God's sake!"

Rachel was too shocked to answer. Her mother! There! Who had given her the address? If Quinn had found her, it wasn't unlikely that some driven other person could do the same, and her mother was the epitome of drive.

"Rachel!" Her demanding voice was back. "Let me in!"

"**No**, I won't!" She answered, blocking her mother's way. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm perfectly fine".

"I don't believe it", Shelby replied. "You always hid when you were too upset with everything, and that's what you're doing now, hiding there. I can help you work everything out, Rachel. Just open the gate".

"I don't want your help, mother. Please, go away and leave me alone".

"I already know everything about Quinn Fabray's fraud. I know what happened in your meeting with Finn today. He wants you back, Rachel. He's desperate".

"Are you acting in his name?"

"No, of course not! But I must admit he would be more devoted to you from now on than Jesse ever would, but it's you I care about. What's best for **you**".

"I can think about that for myself, thank you".

"No, you cannot. You have no idea. You're too innocent for all this. Jesse St. James will explore you as long as you're smitten with him. You need to understand that his fancy for you won't last, and if I'm not by your side to assure there won't be any problems during and after your breakup, you will fade away. If I help, you can use this relationship as a stepping stone. You need to learn how to use your head, kiddo. I can teach you, show you how to take advantage..."

Disgust engulfed Rachel in a wave of nausea. Her mother's shrieking voice went on, explaining how she could **use** Jesse to kick up her career, to take everything she could from him while their relationship was okay, because it would end...

It would end...

"**Shut up**!" Rachel screamed, unable to handle listening to more.

"Rachel, that's why you need me", her mother argued. "Let me in, baby, so we can discuss that. I'm your mother. I'll always be here for you. You need me".

"**No**!" Rachel covered her ears with her hand. "I'm going in now. Leave me alone, mother, or I **will** call the cops!"

The voice kept trying to slip into her mind as Rachel rushed away from the fence, nearly tripping on Fiyero, who was running around her, worried with her distress. She bolted up the stairs to the bedroom, stripped her clothes off, jumped on bed, buried her face on the pillow and tugged her covers up her head, keeping the rest of the world outside.

She didn't care if she was hiding.

Sometimes, hiding was the only way to send away something unbearable.

* * *

><p><strong>J<strong>esse waited for Rachel's phone call the entire afternoon, growing tenser and tenser when it didn't come. She usually didn't break her promises. Had her meeting with Finn caused such a deep emotional and mental confusion she thought better not to call? Whatever it was, Jesse couldn't help but think he was losing that battle.

By five pm, he decided to face the situation up front. He picked up his car and drove to Rachel's house. She didn't answer her doorbell. Fiyero didn't bark either, what suggested she had gone out with him, possibly to a walk on the park. He crossed the street and spent half an hour walking around the park until he was certain Rachel wasn't there. Now completely frustrated, Jesse picked up his phone and dialed Rachel's number – that increased his frustration as he found out her cell was turned off.

He went back to her house and rang the doorbell again. Nothing. Rachel had given him a key so he wouldn't have to wait in case she was busy when he arrived. It wasn't a planned visit and Jesse was reluctant to use it without her explicit permission. He didn't feel comfortable with the idea of invading her privacy, but he couldn't ignore the possibility of something being terribly wrong in there. Accidents happened more frequently inside someone's house then outside.

He unlocked the door and opened it. As he walked in, a low growl warned him of Fiyero's presence. He looked up. The dog was at the stairs' top, stiff and alert, ready to attack until he recognized Jesse. Then, he relaxed and trotted up to Rachel's room.

Was she sleeping? At that time? Maybe she was sick? Too ill to move?

Jesse closed and locked the door again, and quickly climbed the stairs. Aware that his heart was beating faster than usual, he ran the stairs, anxious to check out the situation and do what had to be done.

She was on bed. Her clothes were scattered around the floor. Only the tips of her dark hair were visible. Fiyero had curled up on the pillow next to Rachel, obviously determined to stay as close as he could.

Jesse stood by them for a few minutes, listening to Rachel breathe. It seemed normal. He resisted the urge to undress his own clothes and join her in bed. Not to fuck, but to curl up around her and reassure himself that everything was fine between them. But he knew it wasn't. She had pushed him away. Jesse only didn't know if it had been deliberate from her part or not.

He pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed; man and dog waiting for the most important person in their lives to move, to react again to their presences.

* * *

><p><strong>R<strong>achel slowly came back to her senses. With her eyes closed, she took a deep breath and changed her position, frowning as she felt another movement on the bed. Then a small, wet tongue licked her forehead. Fiyero!

She shoved her covers away and scratched the fur between his ears. "Everything's fine. Mama is already up".

"I'm here too".

Jesse's voice, deep and throaty, demanded his presence to also be acknowledged.

Rachel's eyelids immediately shot open.

He was sitting on a chair by the bed, leaning forward, his blue eyes watching her anxiously. "I was worried with you, Rachel. That's why I came in".

She made a face, remembering her promise to call him. "I'm sorry. I should've called. But my mother showed up and-"

"Shelby was here?"

His sudden concern brought back everything she had heard from her mother. "I'm not doing that", she mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

She sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees as she looked into the saddened eyes of the man she loved, and replied with all her honesty. "I'm not going to rip everything I can off of you while we're still in a relationship".

He straightened up on his chair, his face twisting in anger. "You shouldn't have let her in, Rachel. You shouldn't have listened to her".

"I haven't. But it's kinda hard not to hear when she yells".

"What a driven **bitch**!" he exclaimed, getting up and cutting the air with a hand gesture. "You can't stay here anymore, Rachel. She'll keep bugging you now that she knows where you're living. And she'll give Finn the address, and she'll put him staking out your door, and use him to poison your mind against me, to have you go back to him".

It was strange to see Jesse so bothered and nervous. He always kept the situation and himself under control. She watched as he paced through the bedroom, anger rolling off of him as he said what he thought. "There's no doubt Finn will try to win you back, using Quinn Fabray's fraud as allegation that he was manipulated and begging for your forgiveness".

Her surprise became an immediate question. "You know about that?"

He turned to look at her, shooting his hands up. "I was worried you hadn't called me. I called Puck, and, before you tell me it wasn't my business to ask him what was going on, know that I couldn't handle not knowing if you were in any kind of trouble. That's also why I used the key you gave me to come in when you didn't answer the doorbell. And Fiyero showed me where you were, because he knows I care about you". He finished vehemently, his eyes sparkling with a fierce refusal to accept any protests from her regarding what he had done.

As he heard his name, Fiyero jumped up from the pillow and went to the corner of the bed so that Jesse could pet him, which he did, looking determined at Rachel. "I'm taking you and Fiyero to my house. No discussion. I'll call Shannon and tell her we're on our way, have Emma set up dinner for two…"

"No, Jesse", Rachel shook her head, determined. "I won't run away from my life anymore".

"But you'll be better at my house. I can protect you, make sure that-"

"Until when, Jesse?"

"As long as I need to", he replied, firmly.

She sighed and gave him a sadly resigned look. "There will come a time when that will have to end… what you feel for me, I mean. And if I allow myself to grow dependent on you, it'll be even harder to move forward by myself. Today was difficult… awful… and I just wanted to shove everything aside, but I need to face everything else that will appear, Jesse, and not expect for you to always save me".

His eyes were burning with his need to change her mind about that. "I don't like this", he said, his emotions exploding. "I don't like to leave you here, alone. You belong with me!"

_I belong...?_ She thought, shocked. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard that. It was the first time he mentioned that kind of bond, and the deep emotions it usually meant. But there was still a question in need of answers, and it escaped her lips in a rush. "Would you have slept with her, Jesse?"

"Uh?" He seemed stunned, confused.

"Quinn Fabray. If she had jumped you on a restroom, pulled down your pants and… offered herself up…"

His face became a mask of deep disgust, erasing the awful visual from her mind even before he answered. "Never! I would've turned her down so quickly…" He shook his head. "I've been targeted by women like her several times, Rachel. I always turned them down. Not only do they bring trouble with them, but also I'm not the one who chooses them".

The relief of certainty was wonderful. Jesse wouldn't take for himself anything he hadn't chosen first. She should've guessed. That formidable man only sought to fulfill his desires. He was the master, in control of his own fate. But he didn't seem so controlled right then.

"Was that Finn's excuse?" Jesse asked.

"It doesn't matter, Jesse".

"It does to me, if you think I'd act the same way".

"No", she smiled, as if apologizing. "Now I see you wouldn't. I'm sorry".

"I'm not like Finn, Rachel".

"I know. All this mess has left me confused".

"And that's why I want to get you rid of it", he sat next to her and held her. "Come home with me, at least for tonight. Say yes".

She smiled. "Okay".

It was an easy decision. He cared about Rachel, and she loved that, wanting to soak it up as much as she could, as long as she could. And maybe Jesse wanted her place to be forever by his side. She needed to take a risk. It was impossible to even imagine a man as wonderful as him, Jesse St. James.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for the delay! This has been ready for days - however, this site's new policy made me a little fearful of updating anything and then having it deleted. But thanks to kauraREX and her inspiring review, I've decided to update. Now we have just an epilogue... *sadface*

**the star**

_fifteen_

**R**achel stood under the hot stream of the shower, uncomfortable with her impulsive decision to go with Jesse to his house. It was remarkably similar to how their relationship started, when she sought refuge in Sondheim House, allowing him to keep her safe from the same three people that once again bothered her. But she had stood up for herself now. Actually, it was what they implied about Jesse that bothered Rachel.

But they were mistaken when they claimed Jesse only wanted her for his own sexual satisfaction. Jesse cared about her. He had helped her to become a more selfconfident person, able to take care of herself. There was nothing selfish in that. And he worried about her well-being, which certainly meant she wasn't just another notch on his bedpost in his eyes.

_You belong with me_.

Rachel held to those words. They looked like a vow that Jesse would never dump her. If that was true, it wouldn't be a bad thing to allow him to take her to his home, the first step to a future she hadn't allowed herself to visualize before. Or maybe she was too hopeful.

Anyway, it was just for one night. It would be worth the risk.

Only when she automatically looked at herself in the mirror was that she noticed she had chosen the same pink and silver dress she had worn the first time Jesse brought her to Sondheim House. Rachel was perplexed for some seconds. Had it been some psychologic lapse making her relive the past?

Then she recalled that electric jolt she had felt when Jesse walked in her hotel suite and saw her in that dress. Maybe it had been more than mutual sexual attraction. Maybe it had been an unconscious acknowledgment of how deeply important they'd become to each other. Rachel wanted so badly to believe that. She didn't change into another dress, wishing this was a good omen.

She brushed her hair and took a deep breath to ease the butterflies she had in her stomach, and left the bedroom, quickly reaching the top of the staircase. Jesse was downstairs, on the living room, carrying Fiyero's basket to the door. "We don't have to take Fiyero, Jesse", she called out. "He's used to stay here by himself when we go out".

He turned to her direction, watching her, his blue eyes sparkling with determination, the tension of the upcoming battle strengthening him. "We're not going out", he stated. Then, as he noticed what she was wearing, his face changed, softening into a smile of pleasure that made Rachel happy. Clearly, to his eyes she was **perfect**. Maybe he'd also think she was the **perfect **woman for him. "Fiyero will be happier with the both of us, Rachel", he said.

With them... Both of them... The three of them, together...

"I promised him chicken for dinner", he added. "Emma's already cooking for him. You know he's crazy about chicken".

She laughed. "Okay. I can't keep him from this act of kindness", she replied, telling herself not to expect too much. It would be a great disappointment if she created a fantasy that wouldn't match with reality.

He watched her as she walked down the stairs, feeling fully aware of the effect he had on her, the attraction that tugged at her, stronger and stronger at each step she took towards him.

Once they were already in the car, Jesse took Rachel's hand and entwined his fingers with hers, squeezing them. Heat flared up Rachel's arm and touched her heart. He wanted some connection with her. It definitely wasn't purely sexual. She watched the physical tie he had just created, not a seductive, sensual bond, but firmly possessive, which reinforced the wonderful words he had said earlier.

_You belong with me._

_ Please, please, may it be true_, she hoped desperately. What she had felt before with Finn, the feeling of being in love, was something so weak when compared with the depth of the love she held for Jesse now. She knew there would never be another man to replace him in her life. If she didn't love him as much as she did... But Rachel didn't want to think about that tonight. She wanted just to enjoy all of Jesse's attentions, the attentions she had never gotten from both her mother and Finn.

They reached the gate of the house in Malibu. Jesse let go of Rachel's hand to use the remote control for the gate. Once she saw the house, she felt like she was coming back home, something that burned inside her soul. That was why she had stayed away. It was a magical house, with its classical perfection, which promised a happy life within its walls. Jesse had shared it with her. And she had loved being there with him.

He parked the car, but didn't immediately leave the driver seat. Instead, he turned towards her, taking her hand again and watching her face attentively, as if needing to see each detail of how she would react as he said, "I've missed you deeply, Rachel. I hope you feel comfortable coming back here with me. Because I feel awesome".

For a moment, she nearly choked and couldn't speak. It was impossible to hide how much his words meant for her. Rachel tried not to answer too feverishly, "Yes, I feel really good, Jesse. Thanks for-"

"You don't have to thank me", he cut her off, smiling, happy with her reply. "This house has been waiting for you to light it up with your presence. Let's not make it wait any longer".

She could barely believe Jesse was telling her something so romantic, but she delighted in the adorable fantasy that she illuminated his house. And he had missed her. Jesse always spoke the truth. He didn't like lying to others. There was no reason for her not to believe him.

Fiyero was asleep in his basket. Jesse picked it up before he walked to Rachel's side of the car, and they walked together to the door, Rachel's hand tucked into the curve of Jesse's elbow. Shannon opened the door before they reached the doorstep, smiled at them and stepped aside so they entered. "Good evening, Mr. St. James". And her eyes sparkled as she looked at Rachel. "And welcome back, Miss Berry. We're all very happy to serve you again".

It was too much for her. It felt so good to be with people who truly liked her and wanted her well-being. Her smile was radiant. "Thank you, Shannon. I've missed you, too. It's so good to be back... here, with all of you"

She had almost slipped up and said _back home_, but, as much as she wanted it to be, it really wasn't her home. Not yet. And maybe it'd never be.

Even so, the WES gave their best to make her feel at home. When she and Jesse took Fiyero to the kitchen, Emma greeted her as enthusiastically as she'd greet her own daughter, and Will couldn't stop smiling, saying he had planted her favorite flowers in vases outside the children house. Fiyero woke up and Will took him out of his basket, exclaiming how big he was and what a wonderful company he'd be while Will himself worked on the gardens.

Shannon served dinner more happily than usual, sparking Rachel's appetite as she detailed each dish Emma had cooked and informing Jesse she had taken the liberty to open a bottle of his best wine, something Jesse immediately approved.

Rachel felt incredibly relaxed during dinner, delighting in the kindness she was being treated with, the unspoken affection and everything Jesse did and said. She felt she was special to everyone in that house, something constantly confirmed by the look in Jesse's eyes. And Rachel grew even more hopeful that he really wanted her to make Sondheim House her home.

Not a refuge.

A real home.

Forever.

After dinner, he suggested they went to the children house, to look at Will's new flowers. It was relatively early, the sun still setting. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and Rachel loved how she felt being so close to that man who was so special to her, but at the same time wishing for complete intimacy with him.

Jesse also looked happy for just having her next to him, and was silent as they walked around the pool deck. The stars began appearing at the darkening sky, glittering in the clear surface. The nightly air smelled like the jasmine that grew wrapped around part of the pergola. Rachel smiled as she recalled how she felt nervous and worried while in Jesse's presence when she first arrived there, bothered by his powerful sexual magnetism, fearing the reasons that had taken him to protect her.

She snuggled up against his side and rested her head against his shoulder as they walked down the steps that led to the children house. "Thank you for being the man you are, Jesse".

"I'm not who I used to be anymore. I'm the one who should be thanking you for being the woman you are, Rachel. You changed the way I saw life, made me realize there's much more to life than what I aspired to... more than what I used to feel satisfied with..."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess I've learned as a child not to create emotional ties to anyone... It was the art of survival, of taking care of myself, not allowing anyone else to get close enough that they could cause me pain... Not relying on anyone for anything. I've grown up to be self-sufficient. Not that I haven't enjoyed the company of several people, but I never allowed myself to grow dependent on them, because that would have given them power of me, influencing what I considered my main goal in life".

"No one can argue your success, Jesse". Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, hoping that conversation ended with him saying things were different with her, that their connection was so deep he wouldn't be able to live without her.

"I'm successful when it comes to the professional side of my life, yes", he said, "so successful I wasn't able to see what I have been missing". Rachel burned to ask what that had been, but Jesse carried on, and it was more important to hear what he had to say. "Even as my instincts were overruling my control, making me feel strange things, I dismissed them as a product of my imagination. But they weren't. In fact, they were my real intentions towards you, Rachel".

They stopped by the door of the children house. Jesse turned so that Rachel looked at him, his face serious, determined, his eyes burning with need. He lifted one of his hands to her face, cupping her cheek as if she was something infinitely precious. "You're my Maria".

Maria? Rachel was confused. He had said that name before, after he had returned to her hotel suite on that first night, after cutting off her ties to her mother... those moments of electric immobility as he looked at her... and, dismissing the fact that he had whispered the name, told her she reminded him of someone.

She was anguished. Had he lost some woman named Maria? Rachel didn't want to be tied to another woman who had been equally important to him. She needed to be important by herself. "That's not my name, Jesse..."

"That's the name **I** gave you, Rachel. Your name is beautiful, but it's common knowledge. I've nicknamed you _Maria_ in my mind way before we got together. You were never Rachel Berry, Rachel Hudson to me. You were always Maria St. James".

Rachel froze.

"St. James?" She was so shaken she could barely whisper. "But that's **your** name..."

"It is", he nodded. "And I'm asking you to have it. Be my wife, Rachel. Share the rest of your life with me" He spoke with such a passionate intensity that it rocked her to her core. "I know we can't get married until your divorce is final, but I cannot wait one more day for us to be together, to live together". Jesse took a deep breath, and the words she wanted so badly to hear from him left his lips. "I love you, Rachel. I love everything you have, everything you are. And all I'm asking is for you to be yourself with me".

"Oh, God, Jesse!" She sighed the words, in pure happiness, and wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes sparkling with all the love she no longer needed to hide. "I want to be with you too. Every day for the rest of my life. I've talked myself into leaving because I thought we had a time limit to our relationship, and I needed to prepare for the separation, even though I knew I'd never love anyone else as much as I love you".

He hugged her back, just as tightly, relief flooding his senses as he sank into her embrace, her sweet scent surrounding him. "I hated our time apart. I don't want it happening to us ever again. Let's give each other we never had in the lives we've lived until now, Rach. We'll create, together, the best future we can. I promise".


	16. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** Here it is. The end of my first M-rated story (also, my first completed multichapter!). Thanks to all of you who have taken this beautiful and dramatic journey with me, and I apologize to those who asked for more scenes of Rachel at work – I just couldn't make it happen. I hope you guys enjoy this.

I've reuploaded it because of a teeny, tiny mistake I made. Thanks to PurpleCocoa for picking up on it and telling me!

Ah, yes, before I forget: for Rachel's dress, I imagined her wearing the same gown Penelope Cruz wore at the Oscars 2010. Sugar's dress is Dianna Agron's Carolina Herrera gown from Emmy 2010.

**the star**

_epilogue_

_**One year later...**_

**I**t was a warm afternoon in New York City. Press and fans alike were gathered outside the impressive theatre, the photographers busy taking pictures, fans screaming just behind the gates. In front of the theatre, black, stretching limos were neatly lined, all waiting for their turn at the beginning of the polished red carpet. Halfway through the path, a pretty dark-blonde woman, wearing a beautiful hot pink evening gown, stood in front of a camera, next to a effeminate-looking man with perfectly coiffed hair.

"Hello, everyone. This is Sugar Motta talking from outside the Beacon Theatre, where in a few hours the Tony Awards will take place! But before the big bash begins, let's talk fashion! With me today I have the dashing Kurt Hummel. So, Kurt, what are you wearing this fine evening?"

"Hello, Sugar, and hello, everyone. Well, I'm wearing Prada, obviously!" Kurt Hummel, designer for the stars, twirled a little, showing off his elegant three-piece suit. "What about you, chérie, what have you chosen for tonight?"

"Well, the gown is Carolina Herrera, the shoes are Louboutins and the jewels are Cartier". Sugar Motta, host of E! Fashion Police, lifted up the skirts of her dress, showing off the pretty nude heels, as the cameraman looked up and focused on the thin, sparkling diamond bracelet in her wrist. "So, Kurt, tell me: which actors and – obviously – actresses are you excited to see tonight?"

Kurt grinned. "Well, I can't wait to see April Rhodes, obviously – after all, _Pushing Daisies_ was her first musical after her disastrous season last year, with the car crash and the rehab stint, and she still managed to snag a nomination – and while the woman couldn't hold her liquor, she sure knew how to dress! Also Hugh Jackman – whose turn as Jean Valjean on _Les Mis_ movie was followed by a very successful season on the Big White – and he always looks so dashing!"

Sugar grinned back. "Oh, Kurt, let's hope Blaine is not watching this at home!"

Kurt rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Oh, he is. And he agrees with me anyway. By the way – hi, honey! I love you!"

Sugar rolled her eyes fondly and chuckled as well. "But I'm sure April and Hugh aren't the only ones you want to see..." She added, teasing. Kurt smirked.

"Well, obviously not. I can't wait to see the couple everyone has been talking about for the last 12 months... Miss Rachel Berry – who is nominated for best actress in a featured role for her Chutney in _Legally Blonde_ – and her loverboy and successful TV magnate Jesse St. James".

The African-American woman smiled and nodded. "I can't wait to see them either! This is Rachel's first Tony Award appearance, and considering her choices for last year's Emmys and this year's SAG Awards, I can honestly say everyone can't wait to see what she has chosen. Also", and here Sugar smirked, "you and I both can try to get her talking about any big news she has been keeping under wraps lately!"

Kurt grinned again. "Let's see if we can manage that. For someone whose life last year made several tabloid covers, Ms. Berry sure is keeping quiet on her private life lately..."

* * *

><p><strong>I<strong>nside a cool, comfortable limo, Jesse was watching fondly as Rachel fussed with her hair, checking it on her tiny mirror for the millionth time. She was nervous, he knew – it was her first time going to a Tony Awards ceremony, and she was already a nominee! - but she looked beautiful anyway. Her long, dark hair fell in soft curls down her slim shoulders, with two small braids – one on each side of her face – tying back on a princess-like hairstyle. Her dress was a sleeveless, deep burgundy Donna Karan, with an asymmetric bustline. She also wore the teardrop diamond earrings he had given her when her divorce from Hudson had been finalized, and an elegant diamond bracelet he had bought when the Tony nominations were announced.

"Relax, babe", he told her softly, taking her cool hand in his. She smiled weakly at him, and he squeezed her hand gently, feeling it tremble against his. "You look gorgeous. Easily one of the best dressed women here. And you know how to work a crowd – you've been doing it for years now. You think they're a different crowd, but in the end they're all the same. It's just press and fans wanting a minute of your attention".

The petite brunette smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Jess. It's just... God, this is a dream come true".

He knew it was. After their confession of love, the year before, Rachel filed for divorce from Hudson, on the grounds of infidelity and irreconcilable differences. Thanks to the fact that they had no children (something that made Rachel incredibly grateful) and that Shelby had forced Finn to sign a prenup before the wedding (maybe one of the few good things the woman had done for her daughter), they managed to reach a settlement quite quickly. Finn didn't succeed on gaining part of Rachel's fortune as he had tried to do by alleging Rachel had also cheated on him with Jesse – a point that Matt Rutherford successfully counteracted by claiming nothing happened between his client and her boss until Rachel was already factually – if not lawfully – separated from Finn, and **after** Finn's own infidelities came to light.

With his way to the top blocked by his own mistakes (and with a little help from Jesse, who would always tell his friends just how talentless Finn Hudson truly was as a writer), Hudson decided it was time to move to new pastures. A few weeks after the divorce was finalized, he packed up his bags and left to Asia – more exactly, to the Philippines, where he was hired to be on the local Celebrity Big Brother. While in the house, he met and seduced local sweetheart Sunshine Corazón, to whom he was currently (and apparently faithfully) engaged.

The other third of the cheating scandal was currently sitting in jail. After failing in getting a bite out of Rachel's money, Quinn Fabray had decided to go after bigger targets – namely New York Giants' quarterback Sam Evans, who was married to R&B powerhouse, Grammy winner Mercedes Jones-Evans – using the same con she had tried to pull with Rachel. However, Mercedes and Sam decided they wouldn't take it quietly – instead, they went to the police and told everything. Quinn was arrested, sued for fraud and sentenced to ten years in jail. Knowing just how much pain Quinn could cause, Rachel managed to reach out to Mercedes – forging a strong friendship that both women held dear.

"Rachel, St. James, it's your turn", Noah Puckerman, who they had permanently added to their staff after his invaluable services during Rachel's tiring times, grinned at them. The three of them had forged a good friendship, with Noah becoming the brother Rachel never had, and the honest friend Jesse always secretly wanted. Noah was almost becoming a part of the family, too – he had recently begun dating Shannon's niece Lauren Zizes, a blunt, refreshingly honest girl who Rachel had hired as her personal assistant.

"Showtime", Jesse said with a smirk as he stepped out of the now-parked limo, fixing the coat of his Armani suit and holding his hand out to her. With a deep breath and an encouraging smile from Noah, she affixed her bright smile on her face and stepped out on the setting sun.

* * *

><p><strong>"O<strong>h, my God, they're here!" Sugar Motta announced excitedly as the crowd roared Rachel's name. Kurt, grinning, stepped aside a little to allow Rachel and Jesse to join him and his co-host on the platform the station had set up for them to receive the stars. "Hi, Rachel, hi, Jesse!" Sugar greeted Rachel with two air-kisses, and did the same to Jesse while Kurt gave Rachel a warm hug and shook Jesse's hand. "Wow, don't you two make a dashing pair! So, Rachel, how are you and who are you wearing?"

"Hi, Sugar!" Rachel greeted with an arm still around Kurt's waist, her hand firmly encased in Jesse's. "I'm doing great, and you? Wow, I love your dress!" She praised, and Sugar grinned as she ran her hand down the strapless, 'antique lace', double tiered gown.

"I'm great, thank you! And thank you, it's a Carolina Herrera!" Sugar gushed happily.

"Wow, I love it! Very dramatic! Mine is Donna Karan. I love her designs, they're just so timeless! The shoes are Jimmy Choos", Rachel lifted up her dress a little, showing dainty black strap sandals. "And the jewels are mine – Jesse bought them for me".

"You look every bit the Broadway star, Miss Berry", Kurt grinned, and Rachel grinned back. "What about you, Jesse? What are you wearing?"

Jesse rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "All Armani. Can't go wrong with the classics, right?"

"Indeed", Kurt replied, and then with a small smirk. "Okay, Rachel. Tell us. How are you feeling today?"

"Honored. Nervous. Anxious", Rachel replied immediately, and then laughed. "I was freaking out on the way here because it's my first time on the Tony awards. I think I worried about my hair about three thousand times!"

"Give or take", Jesse added with an affectionate smile to his girlfriend.

"Well, it's natural! It's your first Tony nomination – and for your first musical too!"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. Just getting to be cast was a dream come true, because to be on Broadway was a dream of mine since I was a child. Add being nominated, and this is a big night for me even if I don't win!"

Sugar saw her clue and pounced. "Since we're talking about big nights, what is it that we're hearing about a big night coming soon for the two of you?"

Rachel blushed and Jesse laughed. "Yes, well, I don't know of any big nights we have planned on the near future. Are you aware of anything, Rach?" He asked, very seriously, and Rachel shook her head negatively, with a small frown. "So, I think you're better informed than the two of us, Sugar".

The reporter fixed a fake smile on her face, while Kurt stifled a grin. "I guess I am".

"Well, you know that if push comes to shove and we do decide to have a _big night_, to use your words, we'll do it publicly", Jesse added politely, grinning.

"We can't wait. Thanks for your time, Jesse, Rachel", Kurt cut in smoothly, sending the power couple on their way.

* * *

><p><strong>"O<strong>h, my God, Rachel!"

"Tina!"

Once inside the theater and comfortably settled on their seats, it was time for Jesse and Rachel to catch up with their friends. Tina Cohen-Chang was Rachel's costar in the musical, playing Vivienne, and the two young women had grown close. Tina and her husband Michael (who was _Legally Blonde_'s choreographer) were two of Rachel's and Jesse's trusted close circle of friends, with Tina becoming a confidante to Rachel, and Mike getting along greatly with both Jesse and Noah.

While Rachel exuded old Hollywood glamour, Tina, who offstage had a goth-rock style, was more informally elegant, using a black lace Marchesa cocktail dress, her long, thick hair tied back on a tall ponytail.

"You look gorgeous!" Tina gushed happily as she made Rachel step away a little and twirl, and then sighed. "Damn, now I feel seriously underdressed!"

"Stop that!" Rachel demanded with a laugh. "You look beautiful! Very classy, very elegant, very you – and that's what matters the most!" She said with a firm nod, and Tina wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing them affectionately. After a little bit, the Asian woman took a deep breath and looked cautiously at her friend.

"Has your mother called?"

Rachel breathed in sharply at the mention of her mother. Shelby hadn't given up on her daughter after her attempt to sway Rachel back to her side, immediately following Rachel's last meeting with Finn. She began to follow Rachel around, almost obsessively, to the point where an exhausted and devastated Rachel was forced to file a restraining order against her mother – to which Shelby answered by going to tabloids to tell 'her side of the story' and suing her daughter for half of her fortune. Once again, Matt Rutherford jumped in the action, and the judge decided in Rachel's favor, saying that, as Shelby's daughter, Rachel wasn't supposed to pay her mother for her managing services, and Shelby wasn't entitled to what she claimed to be her share of Rachel's money.

The legal storm cooked up by Shelby, in the end, reflected badly back on her. Realizing just how low she was capable to go in order to ensure her financial health, her clients began to fire her. New clients were scared off by all the mess. Producers and directors quietly began sharing tales of Shelby's hysterical, diva-like behavior on set. Slowly, Shelby vanished from the Hollywood scene. She then moved to Ireland with her new boyfriend – the public reason was because she had been approached by singer Rory Flanagan to manage his career, but actually it was a desperate attempt to save her sinking career.

"No", Rachel eventually replied to Tina. "I don't know what Jesse had to do, but it's been months since I last heard from my mother". The tiny brunette bit her lower lip gently. "Her last words to me – which I heard through the media – was that she no longer had a daughter", the actress shrugged, flicking a lock of hair back. Tina sighed and squeezed Rachel's shoulder again, the two actresses sitting side by side with their better halves on their other sides.

"It's her loss", she said quietly. "Plus, you have Shannon, don't you? She's going to make an awesome mother to all the children you and Jesse eventually have". Noticing how Rachel bit her lower lip after she mentioned children, Tina's eyebrows went up. "Oh. My God. Rachel...?"

After a long while, the nominee leaned forward, hissing urgently, "Promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even Michael!"

The Asian beauty gasped. "Are you serious? You're...?"

Rachel blushed and lowered her head. "I just found out today".

"Oh, Rachel, that's **amazing**!" Tina felt her eyes watering, and hurriedly fanned her hand in front of them. "You and Jesse are going to be amazing parents!"

Rachel smiled sincerely at her friend, and a warm hand on her shoulder startled the two women off their conversation. "Rach? It's going to start..."

Grinning broadly, the first-timer took her boyfriend's hand on hers and paid attention to Neil Patrick Harris' opening monologue.

* * *

><p><strong>T<strong>he award ceremony passed smoothly for Rachel. She clapped enthusiastically when Sebastian Smythe was announced Best Actor in a Leading Role (he was Angel in Rent, and a longtime friend of Jesse). April Rhodes gave a touching speech after she was given the best actress award, thanking her fiancé Bryan Ryan for her recovery and successful lifestyle change.

When the time came for Rachel's category to be announced, her hands were shaking so badly that Jesse looked worried at her for a moment. She was a TV actress turned stage-siren going against powerhouses like Geena Davis, Laura Bell Bundy and Megan Hilty. Giselle Torres, with whom Rachel had a sort of rivalry since they were both child stars, scowled quickly after she read the card with the winner's name – but then pasted on a smile on her face as she called out, "Rachel Berry, for _Legally Blonde_!"

Time seemed to halt as Tina stood up and pulled her up, hugging her tightly with big smiles. Slowly, her crew and castmates hugged her, congratulating her for her win. But, after seconds that looked more like years, Rachel felt two familiar, strong arms around her waist and looked up to meet Jesse's eyes – which were wet from his tears. He kissed her lovingly, pressing his forehead to hers and whispering, "Congratulations, my Maria".

"Oh, my God, Jess... I won!" She whispered, her voice thick with tears as he nodded and gently pushed her towards the stage.

"Go on, pick your trophy".

Still slightly dazed, Rachel walked up onstage, receiving the statue from Sebastian Smythe's hand, and he hugged her tightly, a happy smile on his handsome face. Giselle smiled falsely at her – her dark eyes flashing angrily – and Rachel ignored her as she turned to the mic and began her speech. "Oh, wow. I can't believe I'm here. Gosh, I just... I didn't think I'd win, so I didn't have a speech planned. But, anyways. Thank you to my amazing cast and crew, for all their help and patience with me. Thank you to Will, Shannon and Emma, who make my life easier by being amazing on caring for my home. And a very special thank you for the man who made everything possible... who promised me he'd make all my dreams come true, and he did, he **is**... I love you so much, Jesse, and I thank God every day for allowing our paths to cross. Have a good night, everyone".

When she finally returned to her seat, with her statue on her hand and her make-up properly fixed, Jesse received her with a tight hug and a hot kiss. "I'm so proud of you, Maria", he whispered, and when she smiled at him, big, bright and happy, he added, playing with the shiny white gold ring on her left hand, "Can we tell everyone we're married now?"

She laughed and nodded at him, biting her lower lip lightly. Picking up her purse, she opened it and pulled out a thin white stick, giving it to him. When he looked up at her, eyes wide with a silent question, she felt moisture pooling in her eyes and nodded. "Congratulations... daddy".

**the end**


End file.
